Hot N' Cold
by DarkValkyrie89
Summary: A normal girl, a not so normal school and a bad day to turn everything upside down. Mimiru only wanted to live her life the way she desired, unfortunately the world decided to get involved. ZeroxOC - HIATUS until furthre inspiration. VK died for me a bit.
1. Black Cat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight! All rights belong to Matsuri Hino. However I do own my OCs: Nicola and Mimiru ... alright you too Takenouchi-san (you'll see in the chapter :P )  
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**Author's note: Hello everyone! ^^ This is my debut here. After reading so many stories, I just had to try and make some of my own. I hope that through this, my experience will increase and my skills will improve. Most curious to see how I can handle the flow of a story and the characters, and not to mention the duty of updating and posting satisfying chapters. I would love for you to review, as I need to know the audience's opinion in order to see how far I can reach to you all and I would highly appreciate constructive criticism. No flaming though! ^^**

**This, being the first chapter, will serve as more of an introduction to Mimiru's life style, thoughts and personality and a bit of the other two OCs as well.  
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It was one of those usual, calm weather, peaceful school days. Within the walls of a certain bedroom, in a certain dormitory of a well known school, there was a girl whose appetite for such days were long gone. She prefered the confinement of her room than the classes she had to endure, though her little isolation never lasted long. Pacing and contemplating on her plans and soon to be actions, her attention was drawn towards the window. There was a lot of commotion going on, no doubt that time of the day when the famous switch between classes was made. You see, Cross Academy wasn't like every other school out there; students were separated into Day Class and Night Class. There shouldn't be any need to explain more since the names say it all. Strange though that the school grounds were also separated, but I guess it would have been for the best considering the way everyone reacted towards the Night Class students. The source of the commotion, this everyday commotion, was in fact the opening of a certain gate that would allow everyone a chance to catch a glimpse of those special students and even speak with them as they carry on to their own classes. The girls always went crazy and just like now, they huried over like a sale in a store.

"Hurry up! We just have to get up in front. Maybe I'll be able to talk to Idol-senpai!" one of them screamed with glee and the others proceded.

"No! I want to talk to Idol-senpai!"

"Wild-senpai is so cool! His expression is wonderful!"

"Wouldn't it be marvelous if one of us dated the Night Class? If only Kaname-sama wasn't such a gentleman ..."

"Ne, I'm thinking of becoming a model so I can work together with Shiki-sama. Everybody would be able to see us together." What the heck? They were easily satisfied with a smile, a word or even a slight touch. The girls at Cross Academy had a logic beyond Mimiru's comprehension. She had nothing against them, just couldn't understand the need to make such a big fuss over a couple of guys. You like someone? Keep it to yourself or keep the noise to a decent level. Sure, she'll admit they were good looking, graceful, had a high status in society which helped that prince-like glow and their thinking pattern wasn't too shabby, but she wouldn't want to get involved with them. A crush is different from love and a superficial relationship wouldn't end up anywhere, but again, she didn't feel anything special or the fact that the Night Class was special altogether. And different treatment than others, just because of status, seemed wrong for a school to her. Mimiru was grateful for the way she grew up, for her beliefs and liked the way she did things, even though ....

Her thoughts were interrupted when the bedroom door opened and a girl walked in. The newcomer was none other than Nicola Roberts, Mimiru's roommate also called Nikki by few. "You skipped classes again. One of these days you'll get in trouble." the new girl said in a detached tone while crashing on her bed. Nicola had sandy blonde hair that travelled across her back in slight waves reaching her waist, with a shorter lock of hair framing one side of her face and adding a little style by ending in a slight curl; her bang went sideways across her forehead from left to right and the light brown color in her eyes complimented her gentle appearance. The girl stood around 160cm (5'3") with nice body proportions she maintained daily. In Mimiru's eyes, Nicola looked like a princess with a good future ahead of her and truth be told she practically was like one. She was always going to class, except when seriously sick, always did her work and always took proper care of herself and her belongings. She had an upbringing of a lady and the looks to make it. It was a pretty big contrast in comparison to Mimiru's multiple class skipping experiences, lack of interest in lots of the subjects there and her average looking side of the room - she cleaned once a week, during which she often had a tendency to place stuff at a closer reach. Never one to watch her diet, she was grateful for a good metabolism, body constitution and her athletic nature. Mimiru's looks were also not the princess type in her opinion. Her red hair had been cut short reaching half way down her neck with uneven bangs covering her forehead, some of them reaching the spot between her eyes. Her hair was straight, but mind you not Cleopatra style, and usually tucked behind her ears, leaving her face to be framed on both sides by rebel locks. With a heigth of 165cm (5'5") and fit body, fair skin and brown eyes, some have labeled her the cute sporty type. Though her attitude was a double edged sword that some didn't know how to approach.

"Hey if they haven't punished me yet, then it's all good. The chairman is too kind to kick a poor homeless girl like me or any other student for that matter, unless they turn out to be a criminal." Mimiru said with a carefree smile. Her mother had died at childbirth, her father disappeared on her and there was little imformation about her family, so there was no other choice but placing the girl at an orphanage . Unlike other teenagers, Mimiru never felt sad or thought about it too much because she just couldn't miss someone she never met. From the moment of her birth she was placed under the care of blood strangers. In the earlier stages of her childhood she did hold that curiosity any normal human being would, but she learned from self experience that nobody would answer her wait or calls.

"You live so carelessly." Nikki stated, more like taunted, with a straight face to which Mimiru couldn't help but agree in her mind.

"Oh yeah, thanks for not rating out on me .... again." The blonde let out a small chuckle at this.

"It's true we live in different worlds and I don't accept your way of doing things. I couldn't take things for granted like you do nor could I behave the same. Sometimes I think it's not fair that you get to benefit so much from kindness and luck, while I try so hard ... but I don't hate you and I wouldn't gain anything by causing trouble, so I'll let fate decide."

"You really are the princess type, but in a good way." Mimiru made her way to her wardrobe and picked out an outfit to replace the school uniform she didn't get to use today. The red-head actually liked their uniform, it was one of the few good points the place had, besides the amazing courtyard. Mimiru undressed and began pulling on dark blue jeans shorts, a black tank top and a jeans jacket that stopped below her breasts. She didn't even bother changing her footwear since the usual school boots were comfortable. "This should do it." After a quick glance in the mirror, she grabbed a small brown backpack and headed for the door. "I'm going out now. I'm counting on you for the time being, okay Nikki? I'm sure you'll be able to take care of everything if anyone comes along. Bye bye!" With a shut of the door the blonde was left alone in the bedroom just like many times before, when Mimiru went on her little adventures.

"Seriously, that girl ... Since when did she start calling me Nikki? And she didn't even ask about any important news during classes either."

***

In the meantime outside, Mimiru was dashing through the courtyard whenever she deemed the coast was clear and trying to be as stealthy as possible when she spotted someone. It wasn't a big deal since she always liked this sort of stuff and applied it whenever possible. Back in the old days at the orphanage, she would always sneak around looking for secret places. A bit of a tomboy or adventurer, you can call her whatever you want. In a few moments this girl would be free out in town. She had confidence that Nikki wouldn't say a word because what the blonde had said earlier was true, there was no benefit for ruining Mimiru's life.

Going through the main gate would be a problem and a stupid thing to do, but thankfully, Mimiru had and escape zone -the perfect place to leap the wall. The school grounds were quite large, which made her wonder why they didn't keep more security. There was that so called patrol the prefects did during the night, but apparently its main job was to keep the Day Class girls away from the Night Class dorms. "_Yeah, that's the number one issue when considering the safety of your students."_ the red-head thought to herself. Just a few more feet and she wouldn't have to bother herself with the school for a few hours. A sudden rustle in the bushes startled Mimiru, forcing her to hide behind a tree in a state of alert.

"Meow!" _"Huh?"_ To her great relief it was only a black cat. "A cat? What are you doing here?" Mimiru stepped out from her hiding spot and went to the little creature, but before she could reach out and pet him, the cat ran away. "Hey, wait! ... She left. Too bad, but I guess cats get scared easily by humans. She didn't look like a stray though." Mimiru carried on her way after the encounter, her curiosity not big enough to stop her from escaping. _"Let's hope I get no more distractions."_

"Hold it right there!" another sudden noise - a shout - came from her right and speaking of the devil earlier ...

_"Oh great! How the heck did she find me? Am I losing my touch? ... No, it must be dumb bad luck ... or maybe the cat had something to do with it." _Mimiru stopped in her tracks and turned towards the source of the voice.

"Just what do you think you're doing over here? You should be in your room." Yuuki Cross, the chairman's daughter and one of the two prefects guarding the school, was standing two meters away with her weapon out and ready.

"Yuuki Cross ..." the girl pondered for a second before showing off a bright smile "I was just taking a short walk. I hate staying inside for too long and it's still light outside so I don't have to be afraid. Ne, you won't tell anyone right? I didn't break any rules."

"But why are you taking a walk so far from the dorms if it's only a few minutes you want? Didn't you pay attention in class today?"

_"Pay attention in class? Uhm, was there anything going on today? No, not that I know of, unless they announced it this very day. ... Maaaybe I sould have asked Nikki for the latest scoop." _Mimiru sweat dropped at her carelessness. "Of course I paid attention. It was an important announcement, but I didn't think a couple of minutes would be so bad. Ne, Yuuki-chan can you forgive me on this one?" she placed her palms together and closed one of her eyes, tilting her head in a cute manner. She was going to try and win Yuuki's trust by playing the sweet and innocent look.

"That won't do! What's your name?"

_"Oh come on. I really want to get out of here." _"My name? That would be Saeki Mimiru. Ne, I promise i'll go back to my room like a good student, so how about you let me off easy?" she pleaded one more time.

"Well, you don't look like the usual girls that try and sneak to the Night Class ..."

"You mean those girls over there? Ara, they also have a camera? You don't think the're breaking some rule, do you?" she stated innocently with a tad surprised look for effect.

"What?! What are you girls doing there? ... Saeki-san you'll have to go back to the dorms alone." Yes, as hard as it was to believe, two Day Class girls happened to be roaming around with a camera. No doubt they were trying to take pictures of the Night Class students as the red-head stated. There was hardly a night in which they wouldn't try that. Sometimes they would take their time to make sure they could avoid the prefects, but it's like the two had psychic alarms planted in their heads for fan girls. Well they usually patroled closer to the Night Class dorms and not so soon after classes, which is why this was frustrating for Mimiru. To be caught now of all times, after so many escapades. Thankfully, Yuuki's attention got completely captured by the other two girls which allowed anyone who wanted to sneak out, the opportunity to continue what they were doing.

_"Sorry girls, but it's for the best. Unlike me, you really should be more careful around here and you shouldn't center your life around those guys. Besides, not my fault today is the national day of bad luck." _Not waiting for more interuptions Mimiru dashed ahead, climbed a willow tree and leaped over the wall with a smooth landing on her feet, knees bent and one hand on the ground for support. With a sprint she set out to town, slowing down to catch her breath once close enough. People were walking on the streets doing their rutine like shopping for groceries, lovers spending their time in a restaurant or cafe, kids playing around or buying sweets and the everyday men and women browsing for clothes, jewelry and so on. Things did tend to quiet down when night fell more deeply. Some of the townfolk were scared of walking around too late at night because of the rumors about mysterious attacks. And truthfully there had been reports of killings now and then. It wasn't as if Mimiru didn't pay attention to the news, considering she spent a lot of her time in a center of gossip, it's just that she told herself that as long as she kept her guard up, nothing bad could happen. Besides, she couldn't resist not eating a bowl of ramen from one of her favorite spots, Hanagakure - the center of gossip mentioned earlier and a good way to catch the latest news.

The small restaurant wasn't anything fancy and it certainly didn't catch attention right away as you walked. The place was shadowed by some houses, clothes shop, vegetable carts and you had to go down the actual side street to be able to properly see it. The restaurant had lots of regulars though and friendly costumers, besides that it was good for the type that aren't easily lured in by appearances. On the outside it looked pretty close to a japanese styled house except for the sign "Hanagakure" written in blue with cherry blossoms drawn around. Once inside, the walls were plated in wood, except for the kitchen area that you could see right ahead at the end surrounded by a counter for those prefering the bar-like style to the normal tables. The light was dim giving the place a nightly glow, but that was another thing Mimiru liked. She took her seat at the counter as always and ordered a serving of miso ramen.

"Mimiru! Nice to see you again! How was your day? Still the same old bore?" the owner and cook, Takenouchi-san, greeted her. The elderly man was in his late 50s, but yet single. He never had the chance of meeting that special someone to marry and still, the years never turned him bitter like others in the world. He was very kind and fun to be around with and very traditional as you could have seen from his japanese chef uniform as well. Takenouchi-san treated Mimiru like a daughter, even when he learned of the girl's skipping habits shortly after becoming a regular at the restaurant. He gave her a lecture at first, but time made it obvious that the girl could take care of herself. Not one to force people in doing what they don't want to, Takenouchi-san accepted Mimiru's way of life.

"Good evening, Takenouchi-san! You know me so well. Nothing fun happens at Cross Academy and I'm doing my best at not trying a few pranks." the man laughed at her statement.

"Not that exciting school life you thought, huh? But isn't there a lot of commotion going on everyday?"

"There is, but I wouldn't call it fun more than ridiculous. It's teenage hormones." Mimiru placed her head on the counter and sighed. She was obviously mentally tired of those commotions.

"My dear, aren't you a teenager yourself? Don't you have a crush at school like normal girls your age?" Mimiru straightened up at the comment.

"Like normal girls? Takenouchi-san, I don't know how to take that phrase. It felt like an insult... Ah! I knew it! You don't even consider me the same species as other girls!" she took a dramatic pose with her right hand blocking her face from view, which had turned sideways, and the other one outstreched horizontally from her body.

"Stop fooling around and eat your ramen. Remember it's dangerous if you stay out too late." A bowl of ramen was placed in front of Mimiru, who gladly began devouring it as soon as it touched the counter. Her mood was increasing with each bite and you could tell it from the smile that grew on her face that the food was as delicious as ever. It was a joy to the elderly man when she payed a visit. The athmosphere would lighten around the place and he could have something he never got the chance ... a family. "Welcome! What can I get you?" another customer had walked in and settled himself at the counter on Mimiru's right. Out of curiosity the girl turned her gaze towards the stranger, almost having a heart attack in the process.

_"This very day, I shall name thy 'let's mess around with Mimiru', cause the whole world seems to be laughing at me. You gotta be kidding me! I get startled by a cat, then run into that girl and now HE shows up?!" _Sitting right next to her was none other than the second Prefect, Kiryuu Zero. Why he was there was beyond the girl's understanding. She knew that nobody from the school ever came here because of the location and how most girls went for pastries or european food. _"If I don't say anything, maybe he won't notice me."_ Apparently Zero had ordered himself a portion of ramen as well, though again it was beyond Mimiru why go here. She loved the place, yes, but she rarely saw the prefect out and especially at Hanagakure. All she knew was that she had to gulp down her remaining food as fast as she could and get the hell out of there ... without saying a word if possible.

"Haven't seen you before. And you look about Mimiru's age. Do you go to Cross Academy?" The concept of friendly ... sometimes a joy, sometimes a curse. Takenouchi-san, being himself, had decided to start a friendly conversation with the boy. At this point when Zero focused his eyes on the man, there was no doubt he caught a glimpse at the person on his left. The very same person that was now giving desperate looks and hand signs towards the chef.

_"Are you trying to kill me here man?!"_


	2. Black Cat strikes again!

**So sorry for this late update. I got cought up in so many things that distracted me, but here is chapter 2. I have so many things to do, so little time ^^' Anyway, I am going to begin working on the 3rd chapter soon so I can start a weekly release cycle. Let's hope no more complications arrive. Feedback is most welcomed and I hope the chaper doesn't feel too rushed and that I didn't make any major grammatical mistakes! Also thanks Black Claided Cat for pointing out my constant use of lower case i instead of capitalised. xD**

**Also, for the fans of the manga/anime, stay tuned for a new series on Ouran High School Host Club.**

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"Are you alright?" Zero was looking at the girl curiously. He was actually beginning to wonder if she had any mental problems, cause no normal person goes around fluttering their arms like a mime.

"Oh yeah, uhm, everything's fine. Hehe, just got a little stiff." Mimiru began lifting and dropping her arms like she had invisible weights in both hands. Talk about desperate lies, but he either bought it or just didn't want to concern himself with a potential delirious girl. Either way was fine as long as she could get out of there, before Takenouchi-san said anything or before the prefect began asking questions himself. The red-head kind of doubted Zero would recognize her, seeing as they hardly ever bumped into eachother, but what if Yuuki mentioned their little encounter earlier. Something like 'I just saw a weird girl with red hair earlier' or 'There was a girl wandering near the walls. You can't miss her, she has short red hair and casual clothes on'.

"Did you hear that Mimiru? The boy's a prefect at Cross Academy." Alert level increase. Clearly, while she was in her own world, Zero was going through one of the famous Q&A sessions that probably every client went through. Makes you wonder why would somebody come back to an inquisitive restaurant, but they did. Some of them anyway and it was those some that became the regulars and growing family of Hanagakure. The questions themselves were for the sole purpose of separating the right crowd from the wrong one. There were times when a customer would cause trouble and everyone would jump in to solve the problem, meaning kick the guy out. That's why there's a routine check, which Mimiru completely forgot about and now that she was thinking about it ... her life was over.

_"You're mocking me, aren't you old man?"_ the girl gave the chef a blank look that clearly stated 'are you kidding me?'.

"Now, now my girl. Why the look? Didn't you say you were interested in that school?"

"Sorry, but I don't have time for idle chatting. I prefer eating in silence." Zero had interrupted and put a stop to Takenouchi's interrogation. It looked as if he boarded a one person train to solitude or Zero Land, with his eyes closed and slowly taking a bite out of the freshly served meal. You could almost say he was deep in thought, though surely he would respond to any sign of movement against him. Mimiru might not have bumped into him at the academy, but the rumours travelled to her ears. Her window could be very informative, just as how old people can be persistent.

_"Alas ... if only it worked albino. You don't know the old man as I do." _Perseverance was something the chef was good at. That and watching out for the crowd that came to his home. The whole restaurant was practically his house, with a small appartment just above on the second floor.

"I understand your feelings boy, but they say good company makes the food taste better. Other than that, I haven't seen you around here before. I have a right to check on my customers."

"Actually there is a thing called public privacy." The prefect retorted.

"Not in my book sonny. Especially when underage students come knocking. You could be a delinquent for all I know." The old man began waving his towel around while talking. Quite funny really.

"What about her?" the white haired teen pointed to his left.

"Oh, she's clean. Body searched and everything." There was a silence in the atmosphere. The three of them kept on their own expressions, appropriate to what they felt of the situation. Takenouchi-san had a smile while keeping his eyes closed, Zero had a blank look and Mimiru had an annoyed frown on her face. The prefect probably thought the place was some kind of crazy perverted restaurant that brought an equal amount of crazy costumers.

"I guess there are." Was Zero's only response before continuing his meal.

"Are what?" Takenouchi-san inquired. The statement seemed quite odd to him considering the conversation's flow. Normally a comment or disturbed look would be in order.

"Weirder adults than the chairman himself." Again, a simple and cold response. There was no way the prefect would intentionally start a friendly chat or even partake in one with total strangers. Another awkward silence settled itself among the three. It was safe to say that these attempts wouldn't go much further, there was just something in the air that didn't shout 'Let's be friends!'. Mimiru was actually contemplating on the possible ways she could get out of this predicament, simply walking out being one of them. Sure it wasn't the most nicest action to take, but seriously, staying any longer would put her lifestyle in danger.

_"Okay, go back to making ramen ... good. Now maybe if I'm quite enough ..."_ Having finished her meal by now, the girl made a move to get off her seat. Her body shifted, but ...

"So boy, what are you really here for?" Mimiru froze in place. The fact that Takenouchi-san had turned back around spoiled her attempt. Maybe she could just say she forgot about an appointment?

"I don't understand." Zero quickly averted his gaze towards the man and narrowed his eyes. Technically there shouldn't be anything wrong with him, but you can never be too careful around people, especially with his job.

"I think you do. A student such as yourself doesn't show up in this place without a motive or just to have a meal. I may be old, but I still have my instincts. Should have seen how quick Mimiru talked when I kept pestering her."

"Pestering doesn't mean it was quick you know and it was starting to get on my nerves. I was seriously thinking of depositing a file for sexual harassment." She stood up from her seat and leaned on the counter, supporting herself on her arms.

"I might take that course of action. What is it with adults?" The prefect sighed heavily while lowering his head slightly.

"Shush girl, you're scaring him away. So what is it? You ran away or are you looking for some suspicious characters?" Takenouchi-san quickly brushed away Mimiru to focus on Zero.

"That doesn't concern you. And why suspicious characters?"

"You seem the type to deal with strange tasks, involved with strange business." Before anything more was said, the red headed teen gave a small wave and made her exit by rushing through the door.

"Ne, Takenouchi-san! I'll be taking my leave now. Thank you for the meal and see you tomorrow!"

"Yare yare, there was no need to rush. Well, today we do have some interesting circumstances. Hey sonny, would you like to hear some stories?"

***

Mimiru had set out of the restaurant and side-street changing to a steady walking pace, one that was interupted breefly by a sneeze. "Maybe someone's talking about me? .... Wait a minute." She was rapidly starting to regret leaving so early. Well in one hand she did have the possibility of getting in trouble while trying to hide from Zero and in the other, she had the possibility of getting in trouble because of Takenouchi's talkative mood. Yes, she should have stayed put! "The old man must understand my wishes by now. Plus he's talking to that guy, or better said, monologuing." Like it was acknowledged before, Mimiru did hear rumours about the prefect even if they never met face to face. Everybody knew he was hard to approach and difficult to handle, only Yuki Cross seemed to have some sort of influence on him ... when she found him. Zero usually hid himself, though if it were according to Mimiru's opinion, it was more like the students just didn't know him well enough to find him.

"Ahhh, now my head is full with something related to school again!" The red-head began ruffling her hair in frustration. It didn't matter people were looking at her strangely. True, she now looked a bit ... 'wild', but at least she felt better. Mimiru enjoyed her stop to Hanagakure, but it was compromised and that gave her the right to act crazy. After the little outburst, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was quick, but clear enough. _"So this is where you went. The little devil, the source of all my problems." _A look to the right, a look to the left and she found a small bakery. Perfect place to acquire her weapon. She purchased a bag of small round breads, went to the fountain area and began breaking them all into tiny pieces around the place. Again, skeptical looks were thrown towards her, emphasized by the speed with which she was working and the sentence she spoke quite loudly.

"There you go all you mini-chickens! Don't eat too much so the cats won't get you."

"Excuse me dear." an elderly woman sought her attention.

"Yes? Do you need anything?"

"Me and my husband was just wondering if you're a bird lover?" behind her that was wrinkled old man, seemed to be about the same age as the lady. They were both dressed quite bleak, in tones of browns and black. The average style for old people you see anywhere.

"Bird lover? Uhm, no. Why would you ask that?"

"But you did just offer an entire bag of bread to them."

"That's just because I need a bag like this and it has to be empty. And finding birds can be easier than finding orphans. I don't have much time so if you'll excuse me." Mimiru bowed politely and ran off. The married couple just looked on at the girl's retreating form, mouths slightly open.

"I told you. Kids these days are nothing but a headache. They waste money and act crazy." the man stated before slowly taking a seat on the edge of the fountain. "Oh, my back."

Mimiru was creeping around an alley, approaching the trash can quietly but surely. The utmost discretion was in order. Weapon was at the ready, going for the strike and ... Bang!

"Meeeeow!" a cat's screech rang through the narrow space at the loud noise of a paper bag being blown up.

"Ha ha! That's what you get you stupid cat! Don't know how, but I'm sure today was all your fault." The enemy she had caught a glimpse of was none other thant the black cat she ran into when trying to escape the academy grounds. How did she know it was the same? Well, it's simple really. She didn't pay attention to it before, but right now the distinct mark the animal had on her right shoulder was a great help. There aren't many black cats around with a white plus-like mark on themselves. The poor animal had scurried to the streets, stopping for a second to stare back at the red-headed human girl and then off again it was. _"Did that cat just glare at me? ..."_ She blamed it on her bad day, cause there was no way a cat could glare at her ... right? _"It's official. I need to go to my safety spot ... and I'm never getting pets ... well, maybe a horse."_ After casting her eyes around the streets, Mimiru could tell it was getting later and later. Still, she decided to carry on with her plan, even if it may seemed reckless to many. Her safety spot was in the woods nearby and everyone knew or at least was told, that woods at night are dangerous. Nothing ever happened to her though so she considered her safety spot, well, safe.

She continued to her destination through the alley, which wasn't one of the dead-end types. It had an opening to another street, quieter and slightly smaller, from which you could take another few twists and turns at an antique shop, wedding dress store, a few old and almost ancient houses, a modest kindergarten and a run through a park. Then came the part where you would have to be guided if anyone else wanted to find the safety spot. Said spot was in the hollow trunk of an oak tree with a kind of a weird area around it as well. Mimiru discovered this place little before she attended Cross Academy and ever since then, she never saw anything else go near it. The air itself had something different in the mix, you felt safe. It was regretable the girl didn't have a book with her as she took her usual position on the ground inside the tree, overgrown roots extending near the whole. With an oak of that magnitude, it was clear it had a sturdy root and will to last through the changes of the weather and impose itself on the surrounding nature. The atmosphere felt so rough, pulled from an adventure book and yet calm.

"And here I am again." She broke a splint from one of the walls and began reciting. "Splinter splinter on the wall .... I actually have no question to ask you. Hmm, coming here helps. If I had to stay locked up 24/7 I would have gone mad and then I would have asked for your mighty guidance oh chip of sacred wood." It's a mistery why, but humans sometimes have the tendecy of doing things or saying stuff that really have no real outcome. Maybe an impulse of the brain to keep itself active. Mimiru had a tendency for these impulses. If you think about it, rethorical questions have no consistant outcome either, but we still pose them for the effect. She threw out the thing and assumed a more comfortable possition leaning on the wall of wood with her arms behind her head for support and legs crossed over while bended. Today she would just relax, close her eyes for a bit and then return to the academy.

***

Mimiru could see more japanese dishes and cakes than she could ever eat, all flourishing a white clothed table. Looking around, she found herself in a clearing surrounded by a forest. It all seemed quite odd but can you complain when you see hot ramen, crunchy tempura, fresh sushi and boiled rice, oh and wait, international cuisine as well like pizza and spaghetti? Those alongside the strawberry shortcake, fruit cake, chocolate cake and many others were pure heaven. Her "cheer up" meals all in one place? Too good to be true, but who would pass the offer. She began with the rice and sushi. It had been long since the taste of simple rice an raw fish swam through her mouth. Ramen she could eat anytime, but this was harder to find and more expensive for her pockets. Next was the tempura and then she decided for a well deserved cake. She lead the fork to her mouth and was about to take the bite, but was stopped by sudden water drops falling on her head.

"Huh?" Mimiru looked above to find clear skies. "Where did...?" Another drop on her upper-arm. "Not again." A constant pouring coming out of thin air on her head. She was getting more and more annoyed as the rythm became faster. That's when one final big wave came over her to wash away her sleep. Mimiru jolted awake to her regret and found herself still in the hollow of the tree. It would seem her relaxing changed to falling asleep.

"Just my luck. A feast of a million stars and it had to be a dream." A constant trickle grabbed her attention to the outside world. "It's raining. Now I know where the water came from in my dream. Phew!" Not that she was expecting any weird dreams ... a mountain of food doesn't count. Her thoughts don't get weirder than that ... usually. But enough about that. The problem at hand was getting back to the academy and ending this god forsaken day, hoping tomorrow would be an improvement. Mimiru would have to go through a lecture from her roommate as well. Nikki always got upset, annoyed when filled with the vision of a sneaking red-head. Deep down the blonde must have been concerned because even though she looked the princess part, she wasn't affected by the mattes of others. It wasn't Mimiru's fault she fell asleep to relieve the stress of today. Come to think of it, this was the first time she spent so many hours at the tree. For some reason the red-head felt quite satisfied. Probably the true feeling of having gone against the rules and breaking free, of communion with nature, of a simple life that needs no diamonds to live.

"Heh, although I wouldn't mind sometimes a home with a personal chef. But that's just the greedy part in all of us talking or the part that just wants it easy." The girl got out of the hollow of the oak and stretched her legs and arms freely in the rain. She loved the rain, especially a gentle one like it was going on now. Wet clothes, wet hair? Who cares?! People get wet when they go the beach or take a turn through the fountains for fun. Mimiru turned to her left to get back to town, but stopped dead in her tracks. A few feet in front of her was a creature, a vile creature watching her with its glowing eyes. It was standing there with an air of superiority, not disturbed one bit by the water coming down.

It was that damn cat again!


	3. Busted!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight! All rights belong to Matsuri Hino. However I do own my OCs: Nicola and Mimiru, Takenouchi-san and the current addition to the team, Spyro.  
**

**Author's Note: I present to you chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it and yes, Zero's moment to make Mimiru's life hell, has arrived. Feedback people, feedback :o In other random news, I have begun playing Persona 4 on my PS2 and am continuing some of the games I left on hiatus so to speak**.** I had forgotten how fun it was. ^^ Oh and I'm taking suggestions on your desired chapter length.  
**

* * *

Right in front of her own two eyes was the same cat that plagued her whole day or at least half of it. The animal was standing supported by her front paws, giving her back legs a rest. The tail was swinging left and right and the expression was one of pure mockery. How many cats can make fun of a girl? There was definitely something strange with this creature and Mimiru's curiosity had been pushed to the limit where she had to find out. It's in human nature to seek for the extraordinary.

"Hey there little guy." She slowly approached the cat in a crouched position, trying to get to her level and not scare it away. She outstreched her hand; the cat took an aggressive position. It was either ready to run away or go for the strike. "You're an evil and teasing little creature aren't you? Yes, you are." The girl spoke in a childish and taunting manner, a bit like when in fron t of a baby, only an evil intent inside. And Mimiru was known not to like small children either, they were troublesome to handle for her. Just as she expected, the cat leapt towards her only that the outcome wasn't what she calculated. The creature didn't attack, but settled itself on the human's right shoulder - legs across her shoulder blades and arms lazily hanging in front. The cat looked like a stuffed animal.

"Oi! What are you doing? I'm not your bed!" But instead of trying to pry it off, she let the little thing alone. Mimiru couldn't bring her heart to be cruel to the fellow, when he was probably trying to find some heat or way to withstand the rain. Even though it did choose the wrong person to warm up to. "If you hate the rain, don't act so mighty in front of me. For a moment I thought you were broken - and I still blame you for my misfortune."

The two stood out in the rain for a few moments, neither of them showing any signs of wanting to interact with the other. There was only one course of action left to take.

***

"If I didn't get expelled for skipping, I'm sure something bad will happen now. It's all your fault!" Mimiru spoke - her tone annoyed - as she climbed the window to her dorm room. The cat was still propped on her shoulder, unmoved. In reality, the girl had tried a few ways of shaking it of - all failed due to highly sharp claws penetrating her jacket. What kind of cat stays still when turned upside-down?! Mimiru was forced to take it with her on her way back and here she was. Everything was done according to her regular plan, except for the stowaway.

"Meow..."

"Don't give me that, uh ... kitty-eyed look. Your dwelling is just temporary, tem-po-ra-ry."

"What's with the noise? Is that you Mimiru?" Nicola had awoken from her apparent sleep and turned on her night light.

"Ehehe, morning Nikki."

"Morning? You do know it's still around 11 PM right? I had just fallen asleep." The blonde took her alarm clock and checked it, only adding to her point. "Eh? What's this?" Nicola had noticed the animal, which upon recognition jumped on the girl's bed. It had no problem making itself comfortable and falling asleep.

"This is a load of problems and frustration. I'm sorry Nikki, but it wouldn't let go until I brought it with me - you know this cat is seeking to make my life a misery."

"I'm sure you're exagerating."

"No! Who was there that scared me when I was sneeking out and got me caught by Yuuki Cross? This cat. I escaped, but it didn't matter for I encountered the other prefect in my favorite spot and then i spot this cat again. Coincidence? I think not. And it even found me in my secret spot." Mimiru caught her breath after that long explanation she exasperatedly spread out. Face buried in the blonde's bed; a moment of silence.

"I'm sure it's because Spyro likes you." Nicola said with a gentle smile that could warm the heart of any beast. Or so the red-head thought, but back to the pressing matters.

"Spyro? What's that?"

"Why, its name of course. Every creature needs a name. It would be disrespectful addressing Spyro as "it" or "the cat", don't you think?"

"You intend to keep it?!" Mimiru's outburst had sent the black cat, now dubbed Spyro, cowering under the bed. Shock was evident on her features, not only because it was kind of against the school's rules, but also because that would mean seeing Spyro everyday. What if she could never go back to Hanagakure without running into Zero thanks to her bad luck? See what happens when you show a hint of mercy towards the enemy?

"But he's so cute and I love cats. Reminds me of my days with Mitzi back home." Nicola stretched and picked Spyro from under her bed, settling him on her lap and stroking the pet to sleep. She seemed to have a way with it - the cat would fall asleep almost instantly with her around. Yup, the princess type with her princess charms in action. "Oh, before I forget. Mimiru, you were saying something about being caught. If you hadn't left in such a hurry, you would have known that the school is now on a sort of curfew from wandering outside."

"Curfew?! Why? That doesn't make sense."

"I know ... But all the teachers announced it in class today. All students are to remain inside the school buildings after classes untill further notice. Something bad may have happened. The prefects are more vigilent as well."

That's when something clicked inside of Mimiru's mind. The weels began turning and a grin appeared on her face as she stared off into nothing, although to the outsiders it looked as if the image of the wall had cheered her up. Theories - another past time of the girl's. When the rare ocassion of Mimiru reading a book occured, she always made up her own theories on how it would end and what would happen to the characters. She also had a thing for mystery and crimes. One of the things she regretted in life was that she couldn't be there during the famous Jack The Ripper case - which she seemed to like a bit too much. It was the illusion of the mystery never being solved that hiked people's interest. "Ne, Nikki. You think the criminal's lurking around our school?"

"THE criminal? How do you know there is one?"

"Have you forgotten about the rumors on the killings? Come to think of it, the victims have been mostly female. Perhaps another Jack The Ripper situation?" Mimiru's voice held a bit of excitement to the blonde's dismay.

"I'm sure it's nothing serious. Plus there's no news on your killings in the papers, so it could be just a hoax. Now I'm going back to sleep, before you start filling my head with images I'd rather not experience as nightmares. Good night Mimiru." With a press of the button the room was shrouded in darkness one more time. The red-head stood still, lost in thought. There was no way those rumors were false - simply because the source was Hanagakure and nobody there would come up with such a thing. Why would people lie of their own family members disappearing? One thing was for sure ... This was a chance. A chance to do something other than be just another student at Cross Academy, be just another citizen in the town or just another generic person in the world. With that in mind, Mimiru went to her side and began taking of her clothes. She was too lazy to dress in her pijamas.

***

It was 7 AM. The dorm bedroom was silent, sleep had not washed away from its inhabitants and you could faintly hear the ticking of the clock hand as the seconds went by. All was calm and a certain someone got tired of the waiting. Spyro leapt down from Nicola's bed and went over to Mimiru's. He was staring down the girl, hoping she'd wake up from an uneasy feeling ... No such luck. Patience was not his key point when it came down to important matters. The cat placed on of its paws on the girl's cheek - it resulted in doing nothing. Third time's a charm, especially when you decide on resting your body on a human's entire face. It's safe to say, all beings in the room had a rowdy wake up trip. Spyro was sent flying as Mimiru abruptly stood straight, Nicola had awoken thanks to Mimiru's scream and the ... alarm clock went off.

"Huh?! It's 7 AM! Who set the clock for 7 AM?! And why was that cat on my face?!"

"Oh dear, I forgot to mention I had to wake up early today. Sorry! Ah, you can go back to sleep. I'll be leaving soon." Nicola began dressing up in her uniform in a haste. The two roommates never bothered giving details when it was personal and never pried into eachother's business when the other clearly didn't want to.

"Forget it. After what happened, I'm afraid I'd sufocate the next time. From now on we lock him in a cage." Mimiru pointed towards Spyro, who was doing a fine job in continuing to annoy her acting like nothing happened. He was in fact taking a bath at the moment.

"He's a being just like us, that deserves to be free. I'm sure there's a logical explanation. ... Perhaps he's hungry? When was the last time he ate?"

"How should I know? I'm going to take a shower." After grabbing some clothes, she made her way to the bathroom and locked the door. The sound of the shower head running soon filled the room.

"Come here Spyro. Let's go get something for you from the cafeteria." And with that the two left the confinement of the bedroom. Oh, but not before Nicola made sure to grab her bag.

***

After calming down a bit and relaxing thanks to the shower, Mimiru was left lying on her bed in nothing but a towel. It's strange how a bath or a shower could wash away the stress. Maybe it was that purifying nature water had. Whatever it was, the red-head loved it. Considering the trips she often made, it was also a necessity. The only bad thing was the extreme lazyness she felt. It was a weird characteristic of liking the feel of resting in a towel after a shower, or even a bathrobe for that matter. And she still had a while before classes began. And she was all to herself. That means ... intensive training! She could practice a few kicks and punches and do some warm-up exercises.

A knock at the door brought her back from her dreaming. Totally forgetting the fact she was just in a towel, Mimiru went and opened the door. The person at it wasn't who she'd expect to see, it was more like dreaded to see. Only one question and answer filled her head. _"Why is Yuuki Cross at my door?! I'm so screwed."_

"Uhm, good morning Saeki-san. I'm sorry for intruding on your shower, but I was sent by the chairman to get you."

"The chairman? Oh no. Ano, is this about our encounter yesterday?"

"Oh no! I haven't said a word about that, but it seems Zero said something to him right before asking me to bring you over. I don't know is it's relevant though."

"Oh it is. Believe me it is." At that point Mimiru had dropped on the her hands and knees. Female students passing by could practically feel the aura of despair like it was their own. They would hurry up the pace before getting caught up in who knows what ordeal.

"Saeki-san! Are you alright?" Yuuki bend over, concern blazing in her voice.

"Not really. My life is officially over thanks to that albino." A straight and eerie voice, but of course Yuuki was oblivious to the real meaning behind the girl's behavior.

"Albino?"

***

"So what is it you wanted to see me for, sir?" After making herself presentable the young female student was escorted to the chairman's office. It wasn't as if she had a choice of not going. Apparently there were specific orders to make sure she got there. It was clear to her by now that , indeed, Zero had talked about their meeting at Hanagakure. The only question remained on how he discovered she was a student at Cross Academy. That old man ... He couldn't have, could he?

"Ah yes, Saeki Mimiru. Zero talked about you this morning."

"How strange. Me and Kyriuu-kun never even met here at school. He's a very secretive character." Again she had adopted that false sweet, girlish and innocent tone, throwing a few smiles.

"True, but you have met in town. During the time of my established curfew if I may add and you were even alone from what I heard."

"That's ..."

"This isn't the first offence is it?" The chairman continued without letting her time to think further than that syllable.

"Wha ... That's not true! You have no proof."

"That old man likes story telling too much. You're busted. And you don't have to pretend being sweet since I heard about your act as well." Zero had chiseled in the conversation. He had remained to the side from the moment of her arrival, as if he was only supervising the meeting.

_"Probably savoring his moment of victory, the bastard."_ Mimiru turned her head away from his view with a "Hmph". The prefect was on her list ... right next to Spyro. Yes, next to him, not above or below. The cat and the albino represented the same kind of trouble. And considering the look Zero was giving Mimiru, he had some issues with her as well. The chairman cleared his throat to interrupt their silent psychological quarrel.

"Yes well, because of my recent discoveries I'm afraid I have no choice but to take action. I'll make you take full responsability for your skipping classes, sneaking out of campus and bringing a pet without notice."

"Did you stalk me?" Having turned to the male for a legit response on why the chairman knew even about Spyro, Zero responded calmly as if it was the least important matter at hand.

"Yes."


	4. Changes

_"Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism;  
the way you play it is free will."  
-Jawaharlal Nehru-_

* * *

"Ne, what do you mean by yes?" She gave up on the idea of playing innocent and sweet. There was no way, she could have explained herself for all the rules she broke and Mimiru was still upset over being followed like some sort of criminal. She did do stuff she shouldn't have, but none of them called for the total disruption of her privacy. At least in her eyes, she didn't understand why people bother so much for these things.

"What Kyriuu-kun means to say is that he saw you last night sneaking back in." the chairman interrupted to clear out that issue.

"Oh..."

"And the old man, that Takenouchi as I've stated, told me about your little outing schedule." another cold breeze made its way past her.

"Argh! That old man took advantage of my trust and sold me out like a bowl of ramen."

"My dear, I'm sure he did it for your own good." Chairman Cross got up from his desk and walked over to her side, which in turn made Mimiru turn so to not break face to face contact. The ramen commentary made him all the more curious on how the girl perceived things. That indifferent attitude and burning spirit made quite interesting. Of course being the chairman he already knew of her homely situation as well.

"Yeah, right ... So when do I have to leave?"

"Leave?"

"You're expelling me right? That seems the most obvious choice and what every other chairman would do. I don't mind."

"Well yes, that's true, though I am surprised you don't mind at all if that were the case. ... Or maybe I shouldn't be considering the facts." The chairman placed his hand to his chin, attempting a serious stance.

"If?" Mimiru inquired with the utmost curiosity. At that moment she believed that either Cross was just too soft to actually apply a punishment or a worser fate awaited her. The latter would have been tantalizing.

"You're not getting expelled. At least not yet."

"Why? Do you have a reason for keeping leeching students around?"

"Leeching?" It stroke Cross odd to hear the word used when one talked about himself. His grasp of her personality was becoming stronger and stronger. It was clear to him now that the girl didn't have any remorse and what's more, she didn't cared about her future. "Uh-no, but I believe you had your reasons and a second chance won't cost me much."

"Wha-"

"However, you will be transferred to a different class where the prefects can keep an eye on you." the man added abruptly.

"What? You mean, I'll be in the same class as him and your daughter?! Oh great, lock me in a cage why don't you?"

"If she doesn't want to stay in this place, I say we let her do as she pleases. It'll be too much trouble to keep an eye on her, people like her always are." Zero shifted his gaze so he wouldn't see the glare thrown in his direction. Mimiru was aggravated by the whole 'troublesome' part, since she hated being considered weak, just another extra luggage and could very well take care of herself. It was as if being placed in the fan-girl category.

"Now Zero, remember what we talked about yesterday."

"Chairman, this girl has no intention of complying to your request. The way she acts is the beginning of a delinquent's pattern." the temperature in the room was getting lower.

"I wouldn't call her a delinquent just yet, more like free spirit." Mimiru's eyes sort of sparkled at the mention of free spirit. Someone actually using that word on her seemed unbelievable, especially an adult and especially a school chairman. Any act of defiance and disobedience of the rules usually gave the adults the satisfaction of using that one term that seemed to be exlanation to everything bad - delinquent. True, Cross was fairly young looking for ... whatever age he was.

_"Maybe, maybe this man isn't an ordinary adult."_

"Whatever." was Zero's only comment before giving up and leaving the office.

_"He gave up quite easy. Now it's just the two of us."_ Mimiru returned her focus to Cross who had went back to his desk at a surprising speed. _"W-Why does he have a handkerchief?"_

"Such a cruel son. Don't worry, he's just stressed with his job. You'll get along with him in time."

_"Stressed with his job? Sounds like an old man."_ "Is there anything else you wish to tell me sir?"

"Hmm, I think I covered most of it. You really shouldn't be wandering the streets alone nowadays." Their parting was soon after that.

***

"I still don't get why YOU have to follow me around!" Zero and Mimiru, after that pleasant little meeting, had to head to class much to their dismay. They were walking down the hall, both with annoyance seeping through their core, the red head giving quick glances to the albino now and then. Back then, when she left the office, she was completely surprised to see Zero had waited for her.

"Orders and Yuuki is too soft-hearted. You'd sneak your way out of going to classes."

"How about a deal? I go stay out of your hair and you can go and pretend you did a good little job of keeping an eye on me. We both win and we don't have to go through with this mortifying idea."

"Nice try, but you forget I'm not your ally and the teachers could very well report your absence." They turned a corner, slowly approaching the destination.

"Ugh! I'm stuck with a masochist."

"Masochist?"

"That's right!" Mimiru strengthened her statement.

"I don't see it."

"Just give it time." Mimiru went ahead of Zero, trying to be alone even for a few seconds. She knew class would be a horror and how right she was. As soon as she stepped in, the prefect ordered her to follow him as part of his job and eventually sit right next to him. There was a brief moment of awkwardness because of the stares of all the other students. The typical "Who is she?" or "Why is Kyriuu-kun so friendly with her?" , "A mysterious transfer student?", "She's kind of cute." and so on and so forth. It's like people gathering at the zoo to see the latest animal on display. In this case Mimiru was the rare Red Fur Allyus Catus. Sometimes animals just want to be left alone, praying for the last visitor of the day and praying not having to do any tricks for the entertainment of others. A mere passing thought because everywhere it's the same. Teachers will think that introductions help form a bond and while in some cases it might be true, there are students that don't want to go through something so troublesome. Mimiru was one of them of course and she didn't have anything to say even if called up in front.

The clasroom door creaked slightly open as a sign it needed to be tended to after so many weeks. The man looked to be in his mid-thirties, with plain black eyes, short black hair with some bangs hanging on the sides and even going between his eyes. You could read the long hours of work on his face and something else that seemed to be unwillingness. The other students didn't care much for their teacher's mood unless it meant trouble for them.

"Okay, listen up! As you noticed we have a new classmate with us. It was the Chairman's idea of transferrin her here from another class, to get her motivated or so he says. An introduction perhaps?" He was looking with expectations towards Mimiru. The girl didn't seem like she was going to budge.

"Sorry, but I hate introductions. Always have, always will. If anyone wants to know anything wouldn't it be better to ask?"

"I-I see. Well it's not my place to force you. Then let's begin class."

Mimiru was grateful to have a laid-back homeroom teacher. Aparently his name was Li Sou - Li being his family name of course and besides homeroom, the girl would be studying literature under him. Somehow she expected something more numerical from the guy. The first four classes -homeroom, math, literature, grammar- went smoothly for her standards, though still boring for the most part. Not many of the other students came close to her and she didn't even bother going out during breaks. Mimiru just stood in her desk, spacing in and out of reality. The guys were glancing from the sides and some of the girls were gossiping. Normal. It was only about three of them that took the time to try to talk with her during one of the breaks. They seemed to be nice really, especially the braided girl with glasses. They posed some general questions like "What do you like? What was your former class like? Do you like sports?" to which Mimiru responded the best she could. It was one thing not to willingly socialize and another to be plain rude to those that don't deserve it. The main reason she didn't socialize before was, as always stated in her mind, because most of the teachers ans students were narrow minded or most of the females fangirls.

"Saeki-san? Would you mind pairing up?" Just before biology class, the girl with the brown braided hair and glasses approached Mimiru alone.

_"Hmm, let see. I'm pretty sure her name was..."_ "Shindo-san! Uhm, pair up?"

"Yes! We're suppose to do our studies in pairs of two for today and since you're new I thought it would be nice to ask you. Kiryuu-kun isn't here either..."

"Eh? That desn't concern me. He'll probably show up later on."

"Really? I thought maybe you knew him well. You came in together and sat next to him and you looked the type to get along with him." Shindo-san looked a bit surprised ... and maybe even disappointed?

"Does he have such a type? We're only in relation with eachother because of the Chairman's orders. He has to keep an eye on me."

"Keep an eye...? I don't understand very well, but isn't it good? He doesn't get along well with the others but I don't think it's because he really wants to or because he's a bad guy. You know, Saeki-san gives that same feeling. You seemed warm earlier."

"Y-yeah, that's because your questions seemed-so tell me why you don't have a partner. I have a feeling you're sought out in these situations." Mimiru used her right hand to support her head as she looked at the other girl with questionable eyes. She got back her composure.

"My partner's sick and Kyriuu-kun probably won't attend if he's not here by now. He does this sometimes you know. Misses a few classes."

That's when Mimiru's mind took an ice bath. All of her awareness returned with those two beautiful sentences. If you would compare her feelings' intensity to presents, annoyance was the flower bouquet and as everyone knew, guys never receive flowers. This was the cherry on top of a cake that the red-head couldn't take and wouldn't take. It seemed hypocritical that the Chairman was making a fuss about her grades and future, when one of the **prefects** themselves was breaking the rules. Even more laughable was the fact that the said prefect was suppose to monitor the girl.

_"Honestly, what example am I suppose to follow here? When I see that albino again...."_

And thus class began and Mimiru decided on accepting Shindo-san's offer. It was the logical choice when one has no idea what the teacher is talking about. Surprisingly it wasn't that bad being in a team this time round, even though she was having a hard time figuring out most terms as they carried on. Time ticked away rapidly and the students found themselves savoring freedom once more. It was an early freedom as a result of a shorter schedule, but five hours was enough for any kid.

***

"Nikki~!" The door burst open with full force as Mimiru called out to her roommate. The blonde was sitting on her bed playing with Spyro. Somehow the young lady had acquired a rubber mouse, a ball of yarn and a feather on a stick. The day was looking even more gloomy with each second.

"Welcome back. How did it go?" Nicola began scratching the cat on its belly.

"Ugh, what is that creature still doing here. I don't have the mood to put up with it."

"We went to get a snack for Spyro that time, but then it crossed my mind how it felt wrong to keep him hidden from the chairman. I went to convince him later on about a temporary stay at least. I was surprised to see he agreed. Spyro here can be quite the charmer, yes he can." The blonde proceeded to snuggle and nurse the black ball of fur.

"I can't believe it."

"So how did it feel goig back to class Mimiru? The chairman also informed me of your transfer and situation, not that the teacher didn't mention it as well."

"Oh great." Mimiru sank to the floor, bracing herself on the border of her bed. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The mind began wandering to adventures yet to be experienced, the ability to do things yet to be done. She dreamt and dreamt until wishing for those dreams to come true. She was jealous. Jealous of adventure novels, jealous of legendary tales, jealous of people seeing what others rarely see and doing what others rarely do. The rare moments when she went out in her life were her escape and Mimiru didn't want to be caged in. Even when she would finish high-school or leave Cross Academy, her career would be something adapted to her pace and style. Lawyer, banker, teacher, doctor, diplomat ... there were all bad choices. She still had time to catch up, but she didn't want to waste any moment.

"Was it that bad?"

"It was boooring! And that good for nothing prefect ditched me! I mean he's allowed to skip, but I'm suppose to be supervised?! And are we suppose to study germs so much? What happened to all the interesting books? And I hate math!"

"But now you'll get out of this room more often. It won't be hard once you catch up and you can make friends." Spyro jumped away from the blonde and walked towards Mimiru, installing itself in front of her. It was green eyes versus brown.

"What are you staring at?" The showdown continued. "Grrrr! If it's a fight you want..."

"He just wants to play. Spyro likes you, remember?"

"No, if he liked me he would have buttered up to me. This is clearly a challenge. ... Very brave of you to go against a larger species than your own. You have slept on your last face."

"No! Spyro needs his meal now and sleep." Nicola picked the cat up hastily and settled it in a basket in the far end corner of her side of the room. A miniature bedroom was arranged for and even a little dinner bowl closely by so, as Mimiru planned on saying now, his majesty wouldn't hurt his feet. "What? You like eating in bed sometimes right?" The blonde pointed out once she noticed her roommate's glaring stare.

"The amount of energy it takes for us to move our body is greater than a cat's, I'm sure of it. Anyway, doyou have any information on this Kyriuu Zero?"

"Don't tell me you're...?"

"Bingo! I don't plan on losing to them. To win this war I must clearly study the subject and make use of his weakness."

"Even so, I'm sorry to say I don't know much about the prefects."

"It's okay. I'll cope with it." Like always, Mimiru began taking off her uniform to change. This time she decided to go with three-quarter length blue jeans, a white long sleeved shirt and a green hoodie over it. She put on a pair of white socks and sneakers and set off through the usual window. Nicola was left looking at her disappearing form.

***

"Sheesh, now I'm in such a bad mood. I won't be able to enjoy my ramen like always." Knowing her character Mimiru wouldn't allow Takenouchi-san to get away with betraying her secret. She didn't like having to argue with family, but she had to know what his intention had been. She would still give him a piece of her mind and her mood would probably continue on the negative zone for a while, but it was better getting some answers. When the truth is in your reach, you must grasp it if it's what you wish for. _"That's right, I have to give that prefect some tough love as well."_

You wouldn't say much had changed, you wouldn't say she had been in the principal's office that morning. As always, the method of dashing and hiding was set into action and the leap of fate over the wall. There was really nothing out of the ordinary this time. The usual trees, the usual athmosphere, the usual lack of people near the walls ... it was becoming too easy for the girl. Sneaking away was already second nature to her and learning this path in and out made it look like brushing teeth. The joy came when reaching the town. The bustling of people, the news traveling...all were bringing Mimiru to a grin as always.

"I'm Back!" The crowd turned their heads towards the yell. "Ehehe, sorry." Each individual went back to his or her trivial task. They shouldn't be bothered by potential lunatics. No normal person should.

Moving along quietly, Mimiru soon came to stand in front of Hanagakure in ultimate shock. It was the first time she ever saw the restaurant closed, for as long as she frequented the place. Plus, she had heard well enough of the famous Everyday Open reputation. She double checked by peeking through one fo the windows and sure enough, the door sign wasn't for show or a cruel way of keeing other people out. Not a soul seemed to be around. It was a bit unsettling for Mimiru to not see everyone when she came to visit. Even more so considering the circumstances. Takenouchi-san wasn't the type of person to leave Mimiru in the dark, no, he wouldn't leave anyone in the dark.

"Why? Why is it closed?"

"Maybe he ran away from you." A voice broke the girl's current state. An all too dreaded voice, accompanied by an all too dreaded boy.

"Ah! What are you doing here? More importantly, what do you mean ran away from me?" Mimiru turned around and got closer to Zero, who was leaning against a street lamp. She was standing right in front of him.

"It's obvious. He gave away your secret and doesn't want to face you."

"There's no way that's it! Don't act like you know eveything Prefect-san."

"Fine. Come on." Zero made moves of walking away only to turn his view back when he noticed the girl wasn't following him. The situation was becoming tiresome already. "What are you spacing around for?"

"I'm not spacing around. How did you find me?"

"I followed you of course."

"Followed?" Mimiru was perplexed by that statement. She hadn't noticed one bit and had been completely confident of her escape. Taking in consideration all the years and months she spent when young or at the academy to seek adventure and freedom, she was more than angry to come to realise her situation. Mimiru had been confident that she could still use the same tacticts as well ... she had been naive. Everything really had changed, her life was being shackeled by one mere boy who she considered the cat's advocate. In fact everything had turned for the worst since she first saw Spyro...Black cats were no longer just superstition. _"For him to follow me means I was seen first hand in the courtyard. My escape route has been compromised, my time in my room is now countable and my skills were made fun of by this, this..."_

"Hurry up. We have to return to the school." Zero suddenly grabbed Mimiru's upper right arm and began draggin her away towards the main street.

"Oi! Is that any way to treat a lady?!"

"Where's the lady?"

"Cruel...so cruel Kyriuu-kun. Someone save this maiden!" As soon as they were out in the open, a fake sweet cry and anguished expression made their way in the red head's being. Some of shoppers were actually turning their eyes towards the two. Women mostly were giving the prefect a disapproving look.

_"Is this woman trying to make me the bad guy and escape?"_

"Going this far ... I'll quietly do what you say if you'd be a bit more gentle."

"I seem to have forgotten I'm carrying an actress with me. I was assigned to keep an eye on you. I'm not letting go." Zero stated as a matter of course, succeeding in getting some confused looks from the people. It could have been that mysterious charm Zero radiated that helped him, especially with the female audience. People swayed back as the two students continued the way they were. By then Mimiru had gone back to her stoic expression. She had thought she could get him troubled or embarassed enough to make him let go completely.

"You're very bold, aren't you? You really can let me go now. I won't run away-no I never intended to in the first place, Zero." the prefect was a bit surprised in her use of his given name.

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't trying to run away, I already know it wouldn't do much difference right now. I just hate being forced."

"Forced?" Zero let go slowly and looked as she began walking ahead of him, in the direction of the school.

* * *

**Author's Note: Gomennasai minna! It was such a long wait, but I passed the test of will in wether or not to give up writting. Been crazy with exams and my strange mood. There were days when I felt like doing absolutely nothing at all. Similar to Mimiru really, I was just daydreaming and daydreaming. Well I'll try my best and rest assure I will still practice by posting stories here. "Rome wasn't built in a day" as they say.** **^-^'**

**Any constructive criticism is welcomed if you see anything and reviews of course.**


	5. They are not normal

_To be obliged to beg our daily happiness from others bespeaks a more lamentable poverty than that of him who begs his daily bread.  
-Charles Caleb Colton-_

* * *

"Mimiru, what's the matter?" Ever since Nicola's roommate came back - earlier than expected - she had flopped on the bed face down in her pillow. A bad aura was floating around the area, which is why the blonde and even Spyro had stayed away from that side of the room. "It's not like you to get so down."

"Meow."

"-en..." A barely audible mumble came from the white pillow case.

"Excuse me?" Nicola pressed further on. She had to get a clear response from Mimiru sooner or later.

"-men..." The sound lasted for a bit longer, but still not good enough and the absence of energy made it so much more troublesome. Spyro decided to take matters into his own paws. The cat jumped off from the young lady's lap, crawled over to the other bed and gracefully jumped on without making too much movement on the mattress. He lifted his right paw and seemed to give the girl a look full of mischief, however impossible it may have sounded to many. Everything is reflected in the eyes and Spyro's eyes were enjoying the moment his claws penetrated Mimiru's neck skin.

"RAMEN!" the scream echoed throughout the entire room. Brown eyes were slightly watered with tears of pain and steadily looked at the ceiling, body immobolized. At times like these she cursed her nervous system.

"Ramen? You mean we were worried over nothing while you were crying over ramen?!"

"What do you mean nothing, Nikki~!? I'm not fine at all! I miss my food!" The red head stood up from her previous location and began pacing back and forth across the room. The action was done quite rapidly, one would think she'd dig a whole in the floor.

"Honestly! How inelegant. I'm certain you can find something else to keep you happy and you're making me and Spyro dizzy." Nicola said as she began holding her head for a moment. If it was because of a real headache issueing or because of the situation, that was left to the imagination of those present in the room.

"I'm out of chips and I can't get any cake or French pastries and I don't have any soda and I didn't really prepare for such a day-"

"But what really happened that prevented you from doing the usual? This is the first time something like this happened so I understand if you feel a bit distressed."

"I'm just a little grumpy that's all. I'll think of something new in a second." Mimiru settled herself on the window sill, taking in the outside.

"What did Kiryuu-kun do?" The other girl decided to join her friend, even though they weren't at the point of bestfriends, and walked over to her. Sometimes you don't need to say too much to start a connection or to be concerned.

"He didn't do much, we just talked a bit ... after 'escorting' me back to the academy."

***

_Zero and Mimiru walked in silence towards the school. It was too awkward fro the red head. She was used to being alone, she was used to being part of a crowd, she was used to minding her own business in class, but when it came to walking alongside only one other person who happened to be as silent as the dead, she was going crazy. The road suddenly became ten times longer and she kept sending glances in the prefect's direction. Whether he noticed those glances or decided to ignore them, Mimiru couldn't tell. It was beyond her how someone can keep a straight line of vision and face like that. Something was stopping him from enjoying life.  
_

_"So ... are you some kind of soldier or something?"_

_"Soldier?" For the first time in their little trip Zero turned his eyes towards the girl. He was slightly taken aback, just like that moment in Hanagakure when the owner saw through him a bit. Strange people must attract other strange people, which is how he could explain them knowing eachother. He still didn't forget the awkward moment at the restaurant after Mimiru had left. He wasn't easy to read.  
_

_"That's right! I can't think of any other way how you could have followed me. I may not be trained properly, but I have confidence in my abilities and I won't allow you or anyone else making me look like a fool." She put on a pout on her face, one of her cheeks slightly filled with air._

_"Are you a little kid? I'm not a soldier, I'm a prefect. I was chosen because I can keep up with people like you, that's all."_

_"Keep up?! That's all?! HA! I believe to refuse something so simple, because when I look at you I see a ... HUNTER!"_

_"Don't say stupid things!" Zero retorted back angrily, having been surprised by her outburst ... and pained as well. His right ear was ringing from the loud voice.  
_

_"It's not stupid! You're athletic, you have to be to keep up with me, and good at following someone and you have that "Get out of my face" look most of the time. Do you hunt criminals during the night as well? I mean besides leeching students. Oh, maybe you even have your own alias and clad yourself in darkness. The view from the top of the clock tower is amazing!" She placed her finger on her chin contemplating. What was going through her head at that moment wasn't something the prefect wanted to know. The look on her face told him just how airheaded she could have been._

_"You're such a weird girl. Who in their right mind would even suggest something like that? We're not in a comic."_

_"Being weird is fine with me as long as I get to be me. Don't you agree?" She went back to her regular expression and took another glance at Zero. He wasn't looking at her again, but unlike for the most part of their walk, this time he was scanning the surroundings.  
_

_"..."_

_"Mister Prefect are you okay?"_

_"..."_

_"Is my awsome presence intimidating you?" she shifted to a pose she knew from one of Nicola's fashion magazines._

_"..."_

_"Silent treatment eh? Fine with me. You know, this is one of the reasons why you can't get a date." Mimiru decided to follow the example and stood quiet while looking around. By now they were only a few feet away from the gate. She was kind of getting tired from trying to get herself entertained, if that was possible. Closing her eyes, the girl walked blindly ahead for a while only to get a strange feeling in her stomach and something close to anxiety. No, it wasn't something nice, it was something scary. For some reason Mimiru felt like she was in danger or at least that something dangerous was nearby. It was her intuition kicking in and the rustle of leaves made her abruptly turn her head towards that direction. She stopped in her tracks and realised that there wasn't anything there at the moment, but without a doubt she **did** hear something. Even though she was experiencing that fear every human experienced in the face of possible danger, she wanted to check it out. Mimiru's sense of adventure was telling her to go check it out and even though she may have sounded cruel, she kind of hoped someone was there. Her little comment on Jack the Reaper to Nicola was true to a degree. Mimiru wanted to be part of the mystery involving the murders._

_"Saeki!"_

_"Huh?" It was only then she noticed she had took a couple of steps forward and Zero had been calling her. He had took hold of her arm, second time in one day, to stop her from advancing._

_"Don't space out like that! Geez, I knew you were airheaded but this is getting more and more troublesome."_

_"There's something there." she pointed towards the forest.  
_

_"There's nothing, it's just your imagination. You should go back to your room. We're practically in the school grounds." Zero steered her back on track and gave her a slight push. It was obviously a command to get on with it.  
_

_"What about you?"_

_"I have some business to take care of."_

_"Hmmm...." Mimiru stared suspiciously at the prefect, who stared right back at her. She decided to let him off easy ... just this once._

_***_

"Suspicious ... Not that he didn't seem so from the start." After the little tale, the red head took a seat cross-legged on her bed, leaning slightly back supported by her hands. Nicola's giggle caught her attention though. The young lady had also taken a seat on her own bed.

"So in other words, you're not upset for not having ramen, but because you're curious on what Kyriuu-kun was doing. You two seem to get along."

"Huuuuh?! How do we get along?! And I wasn't interested in what _he_ was doing, it was the rumors, the rumors Nikki."

"Those murders? You're really into it ... but rumors are just rumors." the blonde's expression became shadowed. Even though Mimiru knew she wasn't the type to believe in such things, Nicola's reaction was strange and her eyes continued to be dark as they carried on.

"Rumors come from somewhere, the same as legends and stories. There must be a truth they were based on." The red head glanced from her night table, on top of which rested some novels, to her roommate. _"Why is she making such a face?"_

"Aren't you involving your books too much into this?" the comment sounded stern, almost taunting. As soon as it was said, Nicola went to tucking Spyro in his bed and nestled herself under her own covers and began working on what probably was homework.

"No, I'm not mixing them up! There are things such as crimes and lost artifacts in the world."

"It's your hobby after all."

"You're in a bad mood..."

"I have lots of work to do."

The room became quite after that. The rest of the evening went by with Nicola continuing her work, Spyro sleeping and Mimiru reading her books. It was quite, but awkward with the earlier remarks still hanging in the air. As a late hour was approaching, the lights were turned off and soft good nights were spoken, but it wasn't the end of the day for all of them just yet. Snuggled under the safe confines of her bed, sleep wasn't visiting Mimiru. There were nights like these when a type of small insomnia would strike the girl. This is a condition lots of people probably experienced and it's well known that some of the causes are medications, caffeine, pain, fear, stress, mental disorder and anxiety. The first two had no relation with Mimiru whatsoever, no injuries to feel pain, no troubles to feel afraid off or stressed over and she certainly didn't have anything wrong in her head ... to her standards at least. No, it was the latter, that feeling of anxiety telling her that she shouldn't sleep. It was like someone or something was telling the girl that she still had things to do, that her day wasn't over.

_"At this rate I'll be up all night. Nikki's fast asleep too."_ Mimiru slowly edged out from under the covers. She had changed in her pajamas before lights out - three-quarter length light steel-blue pants and a three-quarter sleeved blouse of the same color. It resulted in quite a contrast considering her red hair, but then again it wasn't a screaming shade of red so it worked out quite nicely. She had a sort of warm-cold look about her. As she made sure not to wake anyone up, Mimiru made her way to the closed window and scanned the yard, leaning her head lazily on her hands. Nicola's weird behavior still played in Mimiru's mind. It wasn't something that easy to forget when the person rarely showed any signs of turmoil. She was almost at the point of starting to count leaves, rocks or other inanimate objects when she noticed a shadow through the dense gathering of trees. It was a curse and blessing how the school grounds could look like a forest at times. The person definitely looked suspicious sneaking around like that.

***

_"I'm sure it was around here."_ Beyond all common logic, the red-head decided to go outside in nothing more than her pajamas and white sneakers. She had decided not to make too much noise while sneaking out and she was close to her room after all, so it would have been wasting precious energy to change in and out of something. She was inspecting the area for the shadow, taking cover now and then behind sturdy trees. Mimiru couldn't afford getting her clothes dirty or she would be found out so no crawling on the ground. Strange that there was no one in sight, but the feeling she experienced while with Zero earlier that day had returned. The anxiety was still there, now coated by adrenaline. _"Maybe if I go a little further ... The person seemed to be on the move."_

Mimiru ventured further away from the girl's dormitories untill she lost sight of the building completely. After thoroughly checking the grounds, she realised that everything was undisturbed and no man or shadow of a man showed itself. There was no point in going anymore and she had exhausted herself enough for that day. The girl decided it was time to return to her room ... But ... that's when it came back. That feeling came back, but something was different. Most of it was the same, except for the force pulling at her. No, it wasn't her adventurous nature again. There was literally something or someone calling her. The wind seemed to carry a whisper, her head felt light, her eyes a bit heavy and her feet were hurting from standing still. The whisper was vague and held no name but it was undoubtly reaching out to someone.

_"I, I knew it. It's the criminal, right? It has to be. ... Where?" _Mimiru's feet began moving left right, left right. She heard a girl's voice_, _something close to a moan. _"Eh? Someone else is here? ... Could it be I'm an extra?"_ She could see faint shapes of two people, so on instinct she ducked behind one of the tree trunks glueing herself to it in the process. She piched her arms and pulled on her cheeks to get back to her senses. Whatever the criminal was using, its influence was growing weak. Perhaps his plan was just trying to gather victims in the area, the rest being up to him. The red-head moved to take another look, but they were gone. One of the truths of this world. As fast as something reaches your grasp, you can lose it quicker. Surely there had to be clues around the area according to her assumption.

"I'll just look for a bit-mmphm" Out of the darkness, somwhere from behind, a hand appeared and rendered her silent. Mimiru began struggling. A sharp pain in her upper arm alarmed her for now her vision was getting whiter and whiter by the second. In less than a minute darkness welcomed her. And what a frustratig situation it was. In the end she couldn't take a look at the criminal, she couldn't solve the mystery and she was caught of guard. _"Not ordianry..." _But it was official. The game had begun.

***

"-miru! Mimiru! Wake up. You'll be late." Nicola shook her lazy roommate's shoulder. The red-head was even quietly snorring away through the morning.

"5 more minutes ..."

"No! You have to wake up now~. Aren't you under observation?"

"Okay. 10 more minutes."

"Spyro, do it." the order came out coldly.

_"Huh?" _the covers shifted_. "Covers?"_ A claw pierced Mimiru's neck skin for the second time in two days. "YOU FURBALL!" the scream echoed as she abruptly raised her body.

"Such a good boy Spyro. You cheered her up well." Nicola crouched down and began stroking the cat's stomach, which responded with a loud purr. You could see it in the cat's eyes just how proud he was of himself.

"Nikki? This is...where?" The red-head looked at the furniture, walls and ceiling with a half awake and half believing look.

"You're still asleep? This is our room of course." the blonde stated matter-of-factly.

"It's a lie."

"Why would I lie? Were you having a weird dream?"

"Dream? ... I think so?" Mimiru scratched her head sheepishly. She couldn't really believe those words, but it all pointed to the current situation. What she experienced felt so real though, she was constantly warring with herself. _"It's impossible right? But I am in my bed. But there's no dream that real and yet I feel totally fine."_

"Well, I'm off now. Don't leave your guest waiting too much." It was then that she noticed the blonde all dressed up in her uniform, bag in hand and looking perfect. As expected of a model student, she had quickly opened the door and set off. Strangest words were dangling in the air and the action that had accompanied them seemed even more out of place. Nicola never winked in the schoolgirl manner, just because she never acted as a schoolgirl to begin with. What that meant was that she was raised as a proper woman. This morning was getting even more and more complicated, so much a person could get a headache.

"I guess she wasn't reffering to you..." Mimiru glanced at Spyro stretching lazily. The cat took a look at the door, reverted it to the girl and then another quick glance at the first before lazily branching onto its nest in the corner. Mimiru, getting the craziest of thoughts, felt the little devil was showing her something and decided to check outside her room. Without having bothered to freshen up, as soon as she pressed the door handle and pulled, she came face to face with the unexpected guest indeed waiting for her. The girl stood and stared for the longest of time into those lavender eyes, mouth agape and leaning ever so slightly right-left. One would say she was enjoying herself if it wasn't for her personality. Nonetheless she was brought back to face the situation.

"What are you doing?" Zero asked with an irritated voice. In fact everything about him seemed to yell irritated.

"Huuuh? That's my line. I didn't know you liked sneaking in the girls' dorms."

"Your brain must be made of clay ... I'm stuck watching your sorry ass and that chairman always going on and on about his 'lovely students' kept nagging me. Like I didn't get enough 'kya kya kya' yesterday now I have to put up with your smartass mouth! You were late."

"Heheh, apparently I was having a weird dream and overslept-wrong! What do you mean made of clay?!" Mimiru shouted angrily, getting up in the prefect's face. Smartass she can accept, but for mind of clay she would not forgive him.

"Clay is clay and what's this weird dream about? No, I'm better off not knowing."

"It wasn't THAT type of weird dream! Grrr! If your highness can wait, I'll be out in five minutes."

"Ohhh, I would have expected less than a minute from someone like you."

_"This bastard! I want to stomp on him."_ Unfortunately she wasn't a giant so she could only do so much. It was thanks to Zero her day had gotten worse so she took it out on him. She was already dealing with her dream or supposed dream and a harsh wake up. _"He's the cat's advocate after all." _Mimiru kicked him hard in the tibia before closing the door in his face.

"Why you!"

"I'm so~rry! I musn't waste my precious minute!" the red-head shouted from beyond the door. She quickly discarded her clothes and went over to her wardrobe to pick up her uniform. The piece of furniture had a mirror incorporated on the door making it a lot more easier for the final check up. Mimiru usually just took a quick glance at the end to make sure she didn't put anything backwards, but this time as she closed the door she noticed something on her upper arm. It was a red spot with a bit of purple around the center, something that looked like a sting. It seemed like an hour passed as she kept her eyes in the mirror, that same piece of her reflection. Fear struck at her heart because of not knowing what happened. Delight struck her for the same reason. It was clear in her mind that what she went through was an actual experience.

_"Then it wasn't a dream? But how? Why am I alright?" _

"Oi! Hurry up!" Zero's voice called with constant banging on the door.

"Ah ... Keep quiet!" Mimiru began dressing as she hopped around in the room. She didn't bother with closing her coat properly or finding a use for the red ribbon, it was better to leave it behind. According to her, she wasn't a christmas present. Her white shirt looked rumpled while the first two and last buttons were undone; over the knee black socks and the usual school boots comeplted the image. She combed her hair mostly by running her fingers through the short locks and hastily went for the door with her beige satchel on her right side, strap going across her body. It was one of her favorite satchels because of the autumn leaves and her own addition of a painted hummingbird. Before opening the door though, Mimiru turned to Spyro with animosity. "You better not disturb anything in this room."

"Oh, you really did need more than five minutes to prepare." Zero greeted the girl as she walked past him down the corridor.

"Mr. Prefect are you gonna skip classes again today? Should you really criticize me, Mr. _Prefect_?" an intuition that emphasising the term prefect would annoy the guilty. There wasn't much conversation going on between the two on their way to the classroom or even as they got there. Students were still surprised about seeing Zero come in with a girl and about Mimiru as the mysterious transfer student. The latter of the mentioned two however, was preoccupied with finding out the truth of last night's events. She didn't hear more than half of what the teachers said during classes and blocked out most of the other girls during recess. She was plotting.

_"There's no other way of doing this. I have to go back to that spot and this time I'm not returning to my room."_

***

"Ne, are you sure you don't need to be somewhere else? I mean I'm sure you're a busy person with lots of responsibilites hehe." Mimiru laughed nervously at the albino following her deeper into the school grounds. She planned on going back there, but she didn't plan on an extra guest. All in all she could pass her doing as one of her habbits, it wasn't far from that time in the forest or her constant outings.

"If you keep acting suspicious I won't be busy for the rest of your school life."

"Suit yourself. Don't blame me if you get bored." she didn't bother arguing. _"Not like you'll figure anything out anyway."_

"Is this the place from your dream?" Zero surveyed the area. Eyes narrowed for a brief second and then he turned to face his company.

"Wha-?" Mimiru froze. Out of all the things to say, he had to go guess right on the spot. Normal people wouldn't have said something like that. Normal people wouldn't have looked so serious. He wasn't normal.

"Just a hunch." Zero smirked out of nowhere before taking a seat on the grass, back to tree.

* * *

**Author's Note: There we have it, chapter 5. As alway the feedback is mostly appreciated. I'm trying to keep the story at a steady pace and not rush it because it would seem unrealistic.**

**If any of you have any questions regarding whatever, I shall answer to the best of my capacity at the end of the future chapter. Some answers might interest other readers as well which is why I'm inclined in doing things this way.**


	6. Boredom, Sugar and A drop of life

_"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength."_

_

* * *

__  
_Mimiru was sitting japanese style on the grass a few feet away from the lavender eyed prefect, deciding it was better than wasting energy standing up. It was after classes so they had all the time they wanted till one of them caved in. The two hadn't spoken at all after Zero's comeback and because of it, a certain level of awkwardness settled in. Five minutes felt like half an hour, ten minutes like an hour and a half and 15 minutes like it was too much for sanity. It was a battle of will and none wanted to give up. The prefect was seemingly slacking, trying to give the impression of sleep, but Mimiru knew better than to trust the obvious. No doubt, the moment she would show signs of movement from the proximity, he would follow. He was a hunter after all in her eyes.

But she had no desire of backing out. There was no way Mimiru would leave without at least some piece of information or close encounter. The events of her night were still fresh in her mind, having been analyzed over and over again. She was beginning to form a tree of who could have been involved and could be involved still in the mystery and Zero was one of the suspicious characters.

_"Just a hunch he says?! Unbelievable! There's no way he would know about this place or the fact that my dream was even in the outdoors._" Yet, at that moment when they arrived at the scene of the crime, he had guessed right off the bat. _"Maybe he's the culprit?"_

The girl suddenly began playing with the grass around her, pulling out strands one by one in her attempt of interlocking them together. It was an activity with no successful results, but quaint enough to keep one entertained. She would have loved to press on with the matter but surely the albino had some type of resistance. She turned towards the prefect's figure in mid harvest and blew some of the grass towards him, making it land on his shirt and hair.

"You ... aren't you worried?" she questioned flatly.

"Yeah, which is why I'm stuck here." Zero didn't move or open his eyes, just continued passively.

"Not me! The girls, the girls."

"Aren't you a girl?"

"Of course I am! I'm talking about the others." Mimiru voiced the last two words with a certain weight. She considered 'the others' a whole new category she found hard to label - fangirls seemed appropiate, but there was something there that didn't make it so simple.

"... It'll be fine."

"Oh~, you're going to leave all the hardships on Yuki-chan?" that sugar coated tone rang through Zero's ears.

"Chan?" He was a bit confused at the sudden change and use of the honorific.

"Yes, you're a cruel man after all." the girl faked a teary expression.

"What's with the sudden drama?"

"Because it's fun! You know we might stay here all day." Her mood swings were enough to give anyone a headache.

"I have time." Zero finally shook the leaves off of him as he stood up from leaning against the tree. He opened his eyes and directed them towards the red head as if waiting for her to copy his moves.

" ... selfish." was her only comeback.

"Who's the selfish one here? Besides, you have to get hungry at some point."

"I'll last." she crossed her hands over her chest, defying him.

"You sure? Not even a sandwich or chicken or cake or maybe even ramen? The chairman is pretty generous when it comes to his 'precious' students." No one could miss the smug look on the prefect's face. He knew the girl's limits and seen a bit of her to understand she had a wild, blunt and almost childish personality. There was no doubt she had a liking to Hanagakure and maybe it had been for more than just hanging out. He was taking a bet on that observation. A slight rumble and the hand across Mimiru's stomach informed him of his victory and the hunter couldn't help but smile at the prey's now wound, running sore.

"...I hate you."

"Thank you."

About an hour had passed from those minutes of conversation. Most of the time had been spent in silence with the occasional rumble and snapping remarks. One of the bigger protests had been directed at Mimiru's drastic change in location and position. Zero knew the girl was crude, but he didn't believe she was this unconcerned of her suroundings. She had refused all logical reasons for why she shouldn't climb a tree or hang upside down from one of its branches. Albeit the height wasn't that great for that particular branch. She hadn't even been bothered with the fact she was still wearing her uniform, which consisted of a skirt. The boy took it upon himself to maintain decency betweeen the two and focused his eyes around him, not daring to look up.

"Kiryuu, what will it take for you to leave?" her voice was a little strained because of the position. They had to raise the volume for the moment but didn't reach the point of shouting.

"Is that what you're trying to do?"

"No, I actually really like this. I used to climb trees all the time when I was little and still do so occasionally ... along other stuff."

"Don't you have any respect for yourself as a girl?"

"I have boxers on that are very much like normal shorts, so I don't see the problem. I mean, boys love the beach because they get to see girls in swimsuits, preferably skimpy ones. This isn't much different, is it? It's still something that covers you up, just not completely, and shorts are more decent than panties."

"It's not the same thing! Do you see an ocean nearby?! These are school grounds. How do you expect people to do their jobs properly if you pose around like that?" Zero's nerves were rising as one could tell from the slight increase in his talking speed and pressure.

"Tsk tsk, what weak men."

"Listen-"

"Zero!" a shout caught the two's attention. The perpetrator was none other than Cross Yuki, running towards them.

"Yuki..." Kiryuu uttered as the female prefect came to a halt in front of him, catching her breath for a second after which she placed her hands on her hips disapprovingly.

"Finally found you! You're skipping your duties again."

"I was curently occupied with one." He pointed towards the tree's head.

"Hello~" Mimiru didn't bother moving from her spot. She just frantically waved her hands towards the audience below with a big smile on her face. She really did look like a child.

"Ah! Saeki-san?! Why are you up there? And why are you sitting like that?!"

"She thinks she's a monkey, now tell me what you want." Zero sealed any response from the red head.

"The headmaster sent for you."

"What does he want?"

"How should I know. He didn't tell me anything except to call his precious son and make sure I don't disturb the ways of nature."

"That idiot..." Zero sighed and turned his eyes expectantly towards Mimiru once again.

"I promise I won't go further. You should know from our encounter in town I mean it. As long as it's according to my wishes I shall obey, scout's honor." The girl remained upside-down, but her expression changed from the previous happy-go-lucky to something serious. She was trying to pull at some difficult strings, trying to make him understand how she needed to be there and wouldn't want it otherwise. To Mimiru's great surprise it worked. Wether it was by some divine force, by some hidden reason or Zero's plain growing tired of the situation, he simply locked the gaze between them for a moment before turning his back and heading in the direction of the school building.

"Let's go Yuki."

"We're going to leave her like that?"

***

Having reached the headmaster's office, Zero would have expected at least this one time for Cross to act like an adult, seeing as he pulled the teen from something he himself had ordered ... But that was hoping for too much. Yuki had left him off at the office because of the meeting needing to be private.

"Why? Why is it everytime I come here you do something stupid?" Kyriuu asked as he watched the headmaster prepare his meal right there on the floor of his office. Cross appeared to be using a small gas cylinder one would usually bring on camping trips and was calmly preparing some eggs, bacon and pancakes. The air was imbued with these scents, enough to make anyone remotely hungry crazy. Although he wouldn't openly admit it, Zero's appetite had risen during his guarding duties, but due to the circumstances he had to appeal to his endurance.

"Cruel! Is that any way to speak to your father?!" Cross practically screamed in near crying voice. This man was known for his dramatic acts.

"That's why I keep saying you're not my parent."

"Zero~, please forgive father for disturbing you~" The headmaster jumped to embrace his 'son', but the young teen was too fast in evading him. The prefect looked impassible at the outspread man on the floor while replying to his statement. One he didn't get.

"It's not like I was doing anything much."

"You were with a girl. The first one besides my darling Yuki~!"

"The whole school is full of girls." A fact, but he was getting the hang of where the conversation was going towards.

"But you don't talk to the others."

"I'm only talking to Saeki right now because of your stupid orders!"

"That's not nice! It's our job to protect the students of this school." Cross finally picked himself up from the floor at the smell of his overcooked pancakes. Apparently none of the two had been paying attention to the makeshift cooker and a thin veil of grey smoke was rising from the frying pan. After hastily turning off the heat, Cross began poking at the now crisp black pancake with a fork while fanning with a napkin. His eyes were covered by his bangs, but you could very well tell there was unmistakable sadness over this loss.

"But I don't get why her. Why go so far for someone that's just looking for trouble?" Zero carried on with the conversation, earning a complete mood shift from the man in front of him. No longer the puppy, but that of a true commanding man.

"I can't just leave her alone or expel her."

"Just sent her back home and let her parents decide for a new school."

" ... She's alone." The chairman spoke after a small pause. He originally didn't intend to bring the subject into the conversation.

"What?"

"She's alone, she doesn't have any parents or known relatives. Right now she's here on the orphanage's decision and support and if I do expel her, she'll probably have to go back there."

"Was the place a dump?" Zero felt the need to ask. He hadn't expected the news, but it would explain the red head's personality better. To make matters worse he was beginning to question himself on more information, questions such as 'When did they die? How did they die? How was life in the orphanage?' Perhaps he was just a curious being without knowledge of the fact. There really isn't need of explanation as to why someone wants to know more about a subject.

"Well it wasn't a luxury hotel, but wasn't that rundown either. I think she'd be better off here though, with people who can be her friends. Once she graduates she can do whatever she wants in her life." The chairman put away his cooking tools and took a seat at his desk with plates in hand.

"If she graduates ... But I don't know how better off she'll be here."

"What do you mean?"

"Lately there's a strange presence around the school and Saeki seems to have come in contact with it somehow."

"So you noticed. But what's this about Mimiru-chan?" The blonde man began his meal.

"Chan again?" The second time that day Zero heard someone use the honorific and the second time he was questioning it. These people barely knew eachother. "I'm saying she was there at the wrong place and wrong time."

"Oh, that doesn't say much then. Carry on doing your job and everything will be alright." The headmaster began waving the teen off.

"And what was the main reason I was called here?"

"...I forgot." At that moment Zero's fist connected with the desk. It was safe to say a visible crack had formed and every item placed on the thing had been either thrown off or tipped down. Cross had managed to save his food in time though.

"You do this every time." Zero's voice was dangerously low.

"Oh yeah, I remember! You have a request from the Association."

***

Mimiru had already begun to get dizzy because of the constant blood traveling to her head, so she decided to roll off her branch swiftly and land crouched on the ground. It was always so easy and so fun to accomplish for her. She scanned the area around only to have confirmed her privacy. She could faintly hear girls chatter and laugh but it was just their voices that were present. It was the usual Night Class talk, no need to actually make out anything. The Night Class was the talk of the girls of ther Day Class. At the rate things were going, Mimiru's plan would go well or at least part of it. The only remaining issue was lasting long enough on her stakeout - her stomach was getting louder and louder. The girl was cursing the albino, as she loved to put it, for getting her mind on food and thus torturing her. In the end she had decided to lie back down on the grass, only this time with a clear view of the sky covered up from place to place by assemblies of leaves. Dim rays of light were sinking through that sea of green. Perhaps it would soothe her body.

"What a drag...Hurry up and show." Mimiru turned her head to the side. At the most inconveneient of times she was greeted with the presence Spyro. It was a bit of a mystery how the cat escaped from Nicola's grasp or from the confinement of their room for that matter. The cluster of black fur was calmly sitting on its behind looking curiously at the girl and swinging its tail right and left. It came out of nowhere.

"..." It was silent, its eyes holding back what would no doubtly be a remark no different than 'What an idiot." Animals can't communicate through a language humans can understand, but their face, eyes and speech may still show emotion.

"Shut up. What did you come here for-ah I know! You're here taking up where your servant left off." Spyro only maintained his posture. "You're such a weird cat. I still think this is all your fault."

"..."

"This will be a long day so better make yourself comfortable furball." Mimiru's stomach sent out a small growl again. She was surprised to see the cat get up and walk away to where it came from. It didn't look scared and she hadn't thought it to be that weak hearted anyway. After all Spyro had decided to start a war with the red head. "That little ... calling me annoying indirectly." There would be payback when she got back to her room. She settled her view upwards once again and closed her eyes to relax her mind. It was a short lived peace. A few moments had passed.

"Meow." Spyro came back at incredible speed carrying a bag now settled in front of its small body. It was nudging the brown paper bag with its nose, bringing it closer to Mimiru's face, who had switched views back to the side.

"You're kidding me. You _have_ to be kidding me."

"Hsss!" Spyro hissed. A way of pressing her onward.

"Okay! Okay! Let's see here..." The red head lifted her upper body from the ground and took hold of the bag, opening it warily. There was no way anything useful would have been inside, but no. The contents were nothing dangerous like she had expected. On the contrary to human expectations, what she found inside was a sandwich, a cupcake and a bottle of water. She froze. Mimiru simply froze. Letting go of the fact that a cat had somehow understood her trouble, knew the way to the kitchen and managed to bring this up, Spyro was showing compassion. It was almost as if looking after the human?

"Meow."

"What the hell are you?" She asked nervously. "Hmm, maybe Nicola saw me here and sent you over? That would make sense and seem like her. Or maybe you were trained by your former owners to make their lives easier."

"Hsss!"

"No? I doubt that albino did something like this which would mean ... you really are the devil! This must be poisoned!" As the girl was trying to shoo Spyro away with her foot, the little thing was standing its ground with another bored expression on its face. In the end it was a loss for the human. "I have no choice I guess." She took out the sandwhich, studied it and eventually took a small bite. Instantly the taste of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and ham flooded her mouth. The absolute simplicity was delicious and heavenly. No visible side effects experienced, Mimiru had to come to terms with the idea of Spyro showing kindness.

"I still blame you for my bad luck and I still haven't forgotten those wake up calls." she said with food in her mouth. The animal only watched her as she ate ... almost longingly.

***

"Zero! What are you doing?!" Yuki woke the prefect from his slumber. After he had left the headmaster's office, he decided to pay Lily a visit and catch up on his rest. The stables were one of the places he truly felt at ease at and White Lily, one of the academy's well bred horses of a pure white, was one of the few females in Zero's life.

"Hmm? What do you want now?" he asked tiredly, slightly annoyed Yuki had come to disturb him, mainly because without a doubt he wouldn't be able to continue what he was doing.

"What about Saeki-san?"

"What about her?"

"Aren't you gonna check up on her?"

"Why?"

"It's your job. Be a man and do it right!" Yuki began pulling on Zero's arm to get him up. Unfortunately she only managed to get half of his body moving before Lily began to snort. As a plus, this particular female seemed to be overly fond of Zero to the point he was the only one to truly tame her.

"I don't get why you're so worked up over it. It's not like she'll wander off."

"You seem to be pretty confident." Slight suprise was found in Yuki's tone. It was a rare occasion for the young man to show trust or the fact he remotely showed signs of socializing. Kiryuu was the idol of the male Day Class students, but had a lousy personality that scared everyone away. Because of that he had no clue on what his classmates were like or anything personal.

"There are some things I understand about her but the rest of her mind is complete crazy."

"Zero, I'm so happy! Your first friend! But it would be bad leaving her all alone there. I stopped by close to that place and Saeki-san was still there. She looked like she was talking to this black cat." Zero sighed heavily at the cheerfulness and got up from the haystack. He shook off any hay off of his clothes and set outside, passing by Yuki who only stared at his form. " So you're going."

"I'm just taking a walk." was his only reply as he felt the girl's smile on his back and the 2 second laugh.

The trip back to that specific place wasn't hard to remember since the prefect had recorded everything in his mind. It came with the job. The sky had turned a sea of orange, red and yellow as the sun was slipping in slumber. It wouldn't be long till the normal time girls would sneak out and try and catch some shots of the Night Class, although because of the curfew Zero would expect the numbers to decrease. Not many of the girls at the Cross Academy were brave enough to break the rules and especially not when the rule specified of no walks alone during the dark. All the measurements were necessary to ensure the students' safety because of the latest rumors that hadn't been just measly rumors. The job of this prefect was so much more than any outsider could understand.

Zero was getting closer and closer as he made his way through the patch of forest. He was keeping his eyes sharp for both danger and the red head Saeki. He was expecting to find her in some ridiculous position if not the one he had left her in. He hoped at least she was more aware of her gender. A red dot was visible in the horizon, seemingly at ground level. At least it would have been easier to talk to the girl and convince her to give up on her foolish idea. But as soon as he got to the actual area, his hopes were crushed and duty multiplied. Trash control wasn't suppose to be a part of this.

Mimiru hadn't thought anything wrong of using Spyro's kindness to get a few snacks now and then. True, she saw a problem with not being able to throw the used packaging, boxes, bottles and bags but assumed she would get to that as she went on. The cat had only been cooperant with the one way deliveries, deliveries of which he himself had benefited from. In the end the red head's verdict came down to acknowledging all beings have a weakness and the devil's plan is making you believe in that weakness to help in your suffering. She was glad she hadn't forgiven the furball and only amended its future well being slightly.

"What the hell?!" Zero shouted at Mimiru, who couldn't be bothered stopping from munching on some cookies.

"Oh Kiryuu! Join in!"

"What's going on!?"

"I kept my end of the deal. I didn't move from this spot, but I had to feed myself so Spyro helped me. In return I promised not to lock him up, mail him to some foreign country, poison his food, apply shock therapy-but then I found out he double crossed me! I mean, how am I suppose to carry all this without moving?!"

"Wait! You're trying to tell me this cat brought you all this?" He wouldn't buy it for one minute like he should.

"Pretty much."

"Do you think I'm stupid? Now tell me where you got this."

"You don't believe me. Oh well, I was expecting that. Want some?" Mimiru tried to offer Kyriuu a cookie with a small mocking smile.

"No! And for all I know it could be drugged."

"Hmmm, that's what I told Spyro when it first brought me something." She munched away happily. The subject at hand had turned its green eyes towards the lavender ones now present. For a moment it looked like a staredown. The cat itself was taking a few steps forward, circling around the teenage boy as if he was a lab test. Zero was returning the favor with his gaze. He didn't like this creature, wouldn't like it.

"Saeki, do something about this thing."

"It's not mine thank heavens."

"It lives in your room."

"Hsss!" After the inspection Spyro had once again began protesting. It was as grouchy as the male prefect and as antisocial too.

"How cute ... mommy and daddy are fighting." she finished the last of the provisions.

"That's because the impossile to handle daughter is sleeping on her ass."

"Then you'll help carry the trash somewhere appropiate?"

"No, you're going to do that on your own." Zero ignored the glaring cat, a phenomenon even to him, and went to grab the girl, trying to get her to her feet. She had stubbornly took a hold of a tree root at that moment with her left hand and was holding for dear life.

"No!"

"Stop acting like a little kid!" Zero persisted.

"Rape!" There was no way Mimiru would have allowed an easy fight. She wasn't one to care what other people would have thought of the scene. Secretly she was enjoying this and would have loved to be caught in the act of being drawn like that, mostly because it would place the albino in an interesting position.

"You idiot!" Zero quickly covered her mouth before any other nonsense came out of her. "Why are you acting like this and going so far for something so stupid?" She bit on his palm skin making him retreat his hand from her lips.

"It's not stupid! It's my dream!"

"Precisely! A dream."

"That's not what I meant ..." Mimiru spoke quitely despite the earlier heat. It was enough to make the boy stop, still keeping a grip on her only more gentle. A rustle came from somewhere in front of them, from deeper into the woods.

"Did you hear that?" Her brown eyes hastily searched through the trees and even branches. That was when she noticed the now spreading shades of dark blue and indigo in the sky. It was time. The game was beginning once again. "It got dark fast..."

"You should go back to the dorms." he tried to soften up his tone.

"And why is that?"

"It's an order."

"Ha! Like I'm suppose to follow your orders! You're pretty suspicious yourself. Had any psychopathic cravings lately we should know about?" Mimiru got up close into Zero's face, eyes burning into his.

"..." He had trouble finding a way to answer that particular question. His notion of psycho or monstrous were harsh.

"You're a suspect in my book. This criminal ... I will catch him!"

"It's impossible for you. Don't throw your life like that just because you don't have any parents to yell at you and no one to make you take responsibility. You think you can do anything you want because of this."

"Hmph! I changed my mind. If you're so persistent on my well being then catch me. But I will be taking a head start!" Mimiru bolted her arm forward away from the prefect's grasp and sprinted off further into the patch of forest. Spyro, which had been observing everything closely, immediately took action into pursuing the girl.

"Oi! Saeki!" But she wouldn't stop, leaving no choice. She was quite fast, faster than Zero had expected and more skilled in dashing left and right. _"She really is a wild one."_ Somewhere along their chase, Spyro had managed to use the tree trunks as springs, jumping from one to another to ultimately land on top of the girl's head. It sank its claws into her neck again as she began struggling.

"I knew it! You were just faking compassion earlier! Get off!" She began spinning on spot trying to get the cat off. Zero had catched up by now, but didn't bother interrupting. It was a deserving punishment for disobeying him.

**_"Don't go." _**A soft male voice echoed in Mimiru's ears. She stumbled across a rock in her stupor and landed hard on her back with the cat now covering her face, green eyes staring into brown.

"Don't say a word." Spyro's body muffled her warning.

"That's one weird cat. At least it's looking out for you. I guess it's loyal."

"Hmph!" she picked up the black ball with her right arm and threw it nearby. "This thing is bipolar, but it did act strange today. Besides Kyriuu, after saying 'Don't go' so suavely I couldn't help but stop dead in tracks." Mimiru sent a smirk towards the prefect who only stared back expecting a joke of some kind.

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you say it when you saw me going round and round with this furball."

" ... No."

"...." As Saeki was trying to comprehend what Zero had answered, Spyro once again jumped in front of her, covering her eyes with its paws.

"Saeki!" She heard the scream, she heard a gunshot. For some reason she was getting sleepy, much like that time.

_"Not ... again ..."_

_**"I'm sorry."**_

* * *

**  
Author's note: Please excuse me for the long wait. I seemed to have lost track of time for some reason as to why I didn't even notice how many days had passed from my last update. I guess it was because of all those times delaying this for other hobbies. The important news is that Chapter 6 is here awaiting feedback. I also I am starting some writting sessions during my university classes that are not as strict with paying attention or taking notes so to say. I really am looking forward into releasing a second series. I had begun work on the first chapter of a Ouran High School Host Club one, but I might switch to a -Man fanfic because of my current -Man daydreaming. Time will tell...**

**Again if any of you have any questions regarding whatever, I shall answer to the best of my capacity in the next chapter and maybe even a PM. Some answers might interest other readers as well which is why I'm inclined in doing things this way.**


	7. Once Upon A Dream

_"The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle."  
_~Anais Nin~

* * *

_"**I'm sorry."**_ Those two words were pulsating in Mimiru's grey matter along with the loud bang of the gunshot. It was soothing to her ears because of the voice and painful because of the shot accompanying it. Darkness would take her soon just as the previous night. White spots were already forming in her current state. She had known something like this might happen again, she came prepared knowing in the end she might be left unconscious, but she also came prepared knowing she would gather something knew. If she let this chance fly away, it could very well mean a dead end in her investigation. Who knew when the next opportunity would arise? No, there was no need to pose that question.

_"No … no … move away."_ With what little strength and coordination she had, Mimiru waved her arms around. The perception of up, down, left and right was a little slow, almost making the girl look drunk or half asleep. Not that those conditions were very much different to what she was feeling now. Somehow she managed to grab Spyro and began pulling him away from her line of vision. Claws had slightly extended by now, leaving marks to be formed on the red head's cheeks – two on her right and one small one on her left. She didn't pay attention to them. Her eyes were almost completely flooded with the color white, saved for the few portions around the edges or close to the middle of the iris. People were moving. What lied beyond that blankness were faint shapes, faint pieces of the scenery like that of a puzzle - the trees, the sky, a black shape, lavender and … blue eyes? Or where they purple? Perhaps they were both …

Mimiru had fallen down the rabbit hole. She had been falling and rolling and sinking deeper for a while now until she felt the soft material around her. She was lying on something soft, sinking into it and tickling her. Her body felt light, but in the sense of actual ease in weight. Whatever was covering her felt nonexistent and her skin shivered in the light breeze blowing wherever this was. It was quite, so quiet. Mimiru fought against the comfort and lazily opened her eyes to be met with an even more bleached out world. The ceiling, the walls, the bed covers and curtains around it, the sofas and chairs, they were all white. Without being aware of it, the wildfire girl had ended up in a strange world.

The ceiling had edges adorned with flowery designs and a small gold and crystal chandelier in the middle. To her right there was a small two person sofa, with silky pillows, next to a pedestral like vase of white roses in the corner of the room. A snowdrop shaped lamp sat on her nightstand. The curtains around the bed seemed to be made out of delicate voile and were fluttering in the wind coming from the balcony door on her left. Strange enough, when trying to look at the windows or better yet through them, Mimiru couldn't see anything. The outside was devoid of any actual object or being. The girl used her hands for support to lift her torso. She felt chillier than she should have. Having looked down at herself by now, the red head's mind processed and came to the realization she was wearing nothing like she recalled.

Instead of her shirt and school jacket, she now had a white top with thin straps holding it in place, reaching about an inch above her belly button. Instead of the school skirt or her boxers, she had a long flowing ankle-length skirt with some lacy underwear from the feel of it. The usual plain hairstyle had a drop of grace to it. To her left, some of the locks were clasped together with a pin concealed by small forget-me-not flowers. They vibed of life in comparison to the room. Mimiru placed her bare feet on the carpet and began walking a bit around the room to check if her eyes were true to her. She took a step towards the bedroom door.

"You have awakened princess." the voice came from the balcony. A teenage boy now stood there, with long black hair tied in a low ponytail. Shorter parts of hair were coming out from the waist-length ponytail and bangs were looking to shadow his eyes. Another drastic color change came with his arrival for his clothes consisted of a royal blue shirt, black jeans and a black trenchcoat. The attire was flapping in the breeze, making the air bend to the obstacle.

"Who are you?"

"I'm your knight of course." The male got closer.

"Knight? That makes no sense whatsoever. You can only be the one that kidnapped me!"

"Every princess needs a knight and to be kidnapped means being taken away by force. You were very quiet though." He was standing right in front of the girl now, looking down on her. The man moved without making any noise. It was as like he wasn't corporal.

"That's because I was unconscious! And I'm not a princess!" Mimiru dared look into his eyes. They were blue, striking toward purple. She had been in this situation before. That's right, just before she had been rendered unconscious.

"I was being allegoric."

"Well don't! For all I know you plan on keeping me here for the rest of my life, trying to get me to go crazy by the lack of a normal life and colors. Or you could be out to rape me."

"This will be all over in about a minute anyway." He reached out his hand towards Mimiru's head. She didn't dare blink in case she would miss anything important, any sign of hostility. She _didn't_ want to miss anything. The man fumbled with the hair pin and brought one of the small forget-me-nots face to face with the girl. "Something to remember me by."

"Oh, usually guys give away roses and with so many lying around… Remember who again?" She took the flower in the palm of her hand and looked at it curiously. The flower itself was beautiful, but so small and fragile. Mimiru was wondering if it was suppose to symbolise something. If so, just what was the message? Clearly it had to have a connection to the man, but it only made her mind loop even more.

"Fine, my name is ______." She saw the lips moving, she heard the most of it except that last crucial part. The sound didn't come out even though the mouth was moving. This girl was never good at lip reading and cursed the fact this very moment. Perhaps she was going deaf? The room was devoid of color and now of sound?

"What!? I didn't hear that!" Her voice became louder. Sure enough, she could still hear herself. The man didn't even open his mouth this time, but she could still hear it clearly ... like that time before the rabbit hole.

_**"You'll be seeing me again, don't worry. I'm sorry."**_

"That's why I'm saying … Who are you?!" The room began disolving. First the ceiling crumbled piece by piece, the the walls peeled off like paper being torn and lastly but not least, the ground. During this time Mimiru had averted her gaze from the mystery man. Who can be oblivious to total destruction or life and death situations? The furniture and flowers burned up in ashes. Sometime during her negligence, the raven haired boy had just disappeared. He just ... disappeared. The floor's erosion began from the edges, closing in on the red head.

_"Not agaaain!" _Alice was sinking again before she could piece together anything in her mind. Falling and tumbling and shouting and without a clue.

***

"I think she's coming to." That soft female voice was unmistakable.

_"Nikki."_

"Saeki-san, can you hear me?" an older woman was talking now.

_"The nurse?"_

"Here, use this!" someone else had spoken.

_"The chairman?!"_ A wave suddenly washed all over her, earning quite the scream and surprise from Mimiru's part. "What the hell are you morons doing?!"

"Oh, it worked." Nicola stated as a matter-of-course. Sharing the same room, she had already gotten used to this. It kept her world lively from one point of view.

"No duh! You poured ice cold water on me!" The red head began shaking a bit and rubbing her upper arms for warmth. She felt something down her back, under her white shirt - the only thing besides a sports bra covering her. She streched her hand to catch a grip of the item and after bringing it to her face, in a light everyone could see, the girl realized it was a melting ice cube. Further inspection of the pillow she had been previously sleeping on, showed her some more ice cubes slowly turning into running water. "I was being metaphorical with that last statement."

"It wasn't me who did it." Nicola pleaded with her hands up in surrender. Mimiru's brown eyes scanned the room clockwise, starting from her roommate who had been the closest to her on the left side of the bed. The head nurse did the same motion as the blonde girl, pleading innocent. During this time the patient was trying to grasp the situation. Somehow she had wounded up in the school infirmary. Her last company had been Spyro and Zero, so it was probably the prefect that had brought her here. She decided to brush aside her dream in this count, no matter how real it had felt. Zero had also screamed her name now that she remembered. It felt weird knowing he had showed chivalry like that, even though she knew it was just his job. Mimiru would have to thank him. Brown eyes landed on green, along with black fur. The brown ones narrowed.

"Uhm ... Mimiru?"

"Right. He doesn't even have opposable thumbs." Next in line had been Cross Yuuki at the head of her bed. Yuuki didn't look or sound the type of person to do that. Further back leaning on the wall was Zero. He would have been a suspect if not for the chairman that was hiding further to the right, behind the clothes tree. Those glassed eyes peeked at the girl lying in bed from behind one of the coats.

"Thank goodness you're okay Mimiru-chan, right?" Cross Kaien had said nervously, keeping that big smile of his and eyes closed.

"Riiiiiight."

"So how are you feeling?" It was Yuuki that asked.

"Pretty good I think. A bit hungry." The red head began picturing a gourmet meal as her stomach rumbled. She also checked the scratches on her cheeks. They were shallower from what she recalled.

"She's perfectly fine everyone. Perhaps you've been stressed out too much or anemic. I'll go bring you something to eat." Nicola smiled with relief, trying to lighten the mood by offering her hand with one of Mimiru's favorite happy subjects. The blonde began making her way out the door when Zero suddenly moved from his spot. He got close to the teen lady and stopped her in her tracks.

"Roberts, I need to talk with you." The blonde stared the prefect in the eyes very shortly before complying quite naturally.

"Very well. I'll be back later to see how you're doing." Nicola turned towards her roommate to reassure her.

"Like I'll even be here later." Mimiru flumped back down on her bed. She had kind of forgotten about the soaked sheets though. She could have jumped back up, but didn't see the point anymore. Her shirt was already wet and would dry off eventually.

"I certainly hope so! Miss Roberts you may go peacefully. I'll be bringing Saeki something to eat." The head nurse alongside Zero, Nicola, Spyro and the chairman had exited the room. In the headmaster's case it was more like sneaking out. He didn't want to face his student, known for a heated mind - kind of like a child when doing something bad. That meant the only other soul in the room now was Cross Yuuki.

"Aren't you leaving?"

"No-unless I'm a bother!?"

"Not really. Do you know what Kiryuu wanted with Nikki?"

"Eh? Hmmm, I have no idea." Cross' daughter began fiddling with her hair. She may have been a prefect as well and closest to Zero, but not even she could tell everything that went through that guy's mind. Unless everything was suppose to be hush hush in Mimiru's presence.

"They never spoke to eachother before, right?"

"No, Zero isn't a great conversation starter."

"Is that so? Never thought of it." Mimiru replied sarcastically. She closed her eyes and dangled her right leg upon the other. Yuuki herself went towards the nurse's desk and got started on her homework, most likely having thought the red head wouldn't have been conscious too much.

"I'm sure it's nothing you should worry about Saeki-san."

"I'm not worried, but don't you find it weird?"

"Well, I think it's okay if he gets along with others." She continued writting on the white paper, eyes turned away from the rest of the room as she stood on the stool.

"No, it's definitely weird. They don't even match." Besides herself, at that moment when Zero asked Nicola for a word, nobody else noticed it as something uncommon. The wildfire even now raised her eyebrows at the memory of it. There was no reason for the two to socialize, there was no reason for them to be alone. She wasn't jealous, just curious. The only reasonable explanation Mimiru could come up with was that Kiryuu was strengthening his control. Nicola Roberts was her roommate, meaning she was perfect as a spy. That was the only reason ... Unless there was a secret crush involved, but Mimiru scratched that idea off the chart almost immediately. She even laughed at the mere thought of it. Those two really didn't match in her eyes. The albino was a crude ice prince and Nicola was too much of a studious lady. What else could those two be talking about?

"Hey, Yuuki-chan? Did I say something weird or do anything while I was out?"

"Well, you wriggled in your sleep a bit and groaned. Before you woke up you began talking, but it was too low and incoherent for us to make out any phrase. Stuff like 'Don't' or 'Who'. It must have been a weird dream."

"You could call it like that." Mimiru had hoped not to have to think about it, but that man intrigued her too much for her own good. _"Wait! He's not even real! Just a figment of my hormones. Knight, yeah right!"_ An apparition of those blue-purple eyes, raven hair and smirk closed in on her. She sat upright in two breaths, breaking the spell as her eyes widened to her own lower half on the mattress.

"Saeki-san, is something wrong?" Yuuki rushed to her side, leaving her homework scattered on the desk. She placed a hand on the red head's back for comfort.

"First, you can call me Mimiru. Saeki makes me sound old and business. And I'm fine, just need to go out and take a walk." She swinged her legs down and began putting on her boots.

"I'm not sure if you're allowed to do that. Maybe we should wait for the nurse."

"I'm perfectly fine." The red head stood up. Her legs felt a bit weak, but nothing a bit of exercise and fresh air couldn't fix. A flower had brushed off of her during her actions. It was a very small, graceful and all too familiar blue flower.

"Oh, you dropped this." The female prefect picked it up and held it out for the two.

"Wha? How ... did this get here?" It had been a dream. It had to have been a dream. There was no way that man could have been real and yet that flower was there, that flower was real. It was the same as the ones in her hairpin and the one the man had offered her.

"Didn't you have it? Maybe a different patient left it here by accident, but I don't remember seeing these flowers around school grounds."

"..."

"It's pretty isn't it?"

"Y-yeah, you can have it. I'm outta here!" Mimiru dashed away before Yuuki even knew what happened. She opened the door hastily and made her way down the hall.

"Hey!" Zero shouted as she bumped slightly into him. Him and Nicola had finished their discussion by now and had decided to head back to the infirmary. It wasn't that much of a surprise when they saw the red head burst through the door like a scared wild animal.

"Should have known." the blonde commented while watching her roommate's retreating form.

"Zero, I'm sorry." Yuuki came out of the infirmary, her head bowed low.

"Idiot."

"Cross-san, what's that?" Nicola pointed toward the palm of her hand. The flower was intact and held like porcelain.

"It fell when Mimiru-chan got up."

"What is it?" Kiryuu asked.

"Can't you see?! It' s a flower."

"It's a forget-me-not." Nicola chipped in before Zero could retort. "My family's gardens has a patch of these. I used to go see them everyday as a little girl. Why would Mimiru have one though?" The blonde took the small thing in her own hand, looking at it longingly. That one small flower had transported her back to her childhood, but seeing those warm eyes you knew it didn't mean anything bad. Someone's personality is usually a consequence of their upbringing.

"Shouldn't someone go after Mimiru-chan?" Yuuki brought everyone back to reality. The girls shifted their eyes towards Zero, who in turn looked strangely at the two. They maintained that pose for a minute before the male asked wearily.

"What?"

"Ugh! Get a move on!" The female prefect gave him a push from the side in the right direction.

***

"Oh boy, I must be loosing my mind." Mimiru hadn't wandered off too far. Just a few hallways and took a seat on a pair of stairs. She was hanging her head upside down at knee level, arms lazily dropping at her sides. She had hoped to reach her room at least, but that dream irked her and thus needed to conjure up some reasoning time. It was the second this has happened and the second time it was proven it could have been real. The first experience had the sting mark, which upon inspection she could still see, and the second experience led to the flower. In both of the cases the evidence had also manifested itself in the dream or make dream. There was aslso a high probability in both cases it was the fault of the same guy. "And he keeps popping up and I keep wondering and it's not like I particulary love that flower and ... and...ugh! It's not like I have a crush on the guy or something!"

"Crush on who?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Mimiru moved her eyes upwards to come face to face with Zero's knees standing in from of her. Her body hanged as lazily as before, but the voice and those knees were unmistakable.

"I never thought you would be interested in that kind of stuff."

"I'm not!"

"Then who were you talking about?"

"I was just thinking of this weird dream I had."

"Another weird dream? ..."

"Not THAT kind of weird dream! I told you already!" Mimiru stood up on the stairs, towering over the prefect angrily. She once again got into his face and for a moment Zero was worried she would fall over him. It was the last thing he needed.

"You're pretty suspicious getting worked up over it." He tried maintaining a straight face.

"Because I liked it." the red head stated like it was nothing out of the ordinary. She meant what she had said, but not in the way it was most obvious. She wasn't bothered by the dream itself, but by the fact she couldn't figure it out faster. She had liked the dream because it was something strange and different, something that signaled her involvement in a bigger plot.

"Weren't you upset because of it?"

"Because I don't understand it and know nothing on what it wanted to tell me, but I liked it."

"And you get upset when _I_ misunderstand?...Such a weird girl." Zero sighed as he ran his hand through his silver locks.

"Ne Kiryuu, have you ever seen anyone with blue and purple eyes at the same time?"

"You mean it's one of those colors you can't figure out? No, didn't see anyone with such eyes. Why?" He answered still keeping her fingers entangled in his hair, but also keeping eye contact.

"I find it interesting."

"..."

"Ouch!" Mimiru cried out when the albino pinched her hand. She wanted to snap back but the sudden subject change swayed her mind from revenge.

"That flower's called a forget-me-not."

"Huh?" she rubbed her sore spot.

"The one you found in the infirmary. Roberts told us."

"Nikki? She knows the flower?"

"Apparently her family grew some."

"Is that so? That's perfect!" The red head jumped down from her step to set out in a sprint. She was pulled back by the collar of her uniform so abruptly though, that she landed back on her butt.

"Wait just a minute!"

"What?" She brought her eyes up towards Zero's face. He had one of his bad mood expressions on, clearly not up for fooling around. Mimiru complied.

"No more running."

"What are you? An old man?" The red head brushed the dust off her skirt.

"I don't wanna have to carry you again." the male prefect left her behind as he made his way to their destination. That last statement made Mimiru feel strange, maybe a bit guilty and like he owed the guy. She hated having to owe him. Not saying anything would have made her sound ungrateful, which she was not. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

"... About that ... Thanks." She stepped alongside the prefect. The events could't help but replay in her mind. When you apologize or thank someone, your brain always goes back to what you need to thank or apologize for. Even if one may not realize it, a tiny bit of the brain does that. "Wait a minute! What was that gunshot I heard?!" It's true that she hadn't seen anything clearly before giving in to darkness and her ears had been a bit clugged or busy echoing different words, but one thing she remebered hearing was a gunshot.

"What gunshot?" Zero didn't react in any way.

"Right before I blacked out you shouted my name and then I heard a gunshot."

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming that part up too. You can't possibly have been thinking clearly if you were fainting."

"But ... you're not denying it." the girl looked at those lavender eyes from a lower left side angle. It made the teen avert his gaze slightly to the right, making sure not to appear as if it was on purpose.

"Well, you're not stupid. You know about the rumors so there shouldn't be any need to explain. Leave it at that."

"You mean the killer. It's more amusing when I figure things out on my own anyways. You're not worthy of being my sidekick." she rubbed her palms one on the other as if scheming. She was acting like a little child again that struck candy.

"Haven't you learned your lesson?"

"Nope! Now I'm living proof he's out there and there is something supernatural about him. Last night and today were two big steps!" she began jumping for joy.

"Last night and today? You .. You stayed out there for hours waiting for the guy?!" But Zero's questions were left unanswered as Mimiru was in her own little world.

"That weird dream last night wasn't such a dream after all. Hmm, this means earlier was also... I have physical evidence. I should study them." She could dust for fingerprints, analize the skin from the sting spot, check for any loose hairs ... The mind of Saeki Mimiru never slept. One of her favorite crime mysteries was that of Jack the Reaper. One of her favorite detectives was Sherlock Homes. Not eerything the guy did in the books or aced was 100% in accordance to her, but he was pretty close to what she was aiming.

"Idiot!" Kiryuu slapped the back of her head.

***

It didn't take long for the two teenagers to reach the infirmary again. They were only a few turns and halls. When they walked in, all three heads turned towards them - Nicola, Yuuki and the head nurse who was first to open her mouth.

"Where have you been?! You're not suppose to leave this room until I say so, let alone run around!"

"Yeah,well-" Sadly, Saeki's attention got caught up by the tray shinning majestically on the night table. That wonderful plate of mashed potatoes and fried drumstick with gravy on top, that bowl of fresh and colorful salad, that dish displaying a creamy piece of strawberry shortcake, that glass of seemingly orange juice ... they were all calling her. She was put under a spell, a wonderful delicous spell. She embraced that spell. "Fooooood!"

"You did wonders with her Kiryuu-kun." Nicola added as she watched her roommate munch to her heart's content.

"I wouldn't call that a wonder. Yuuki, you should go to your room."

"Alright." The female prefect took her books and notebook and complied without any trouble to Zero's sugestion. Thus there were only four people left. Mimiru choked for a second because of how fast she was eating and how much she shoved in her mouth. Nicola took the liberty of patting her on the back.

"Don't eat so fast. You got away only to die from food overdose?"

"Kiryuu told me you knew about the flower." the red head spoke, left cheek swollen similar to a hamster's when depositing food.

"Yeah, you can find some in the gardens back home." The food went down the girl's throat in a second as she swallowed hard. The nurse had busied herself with papers and Zero had flopped down in an adjacent bed for a small nap, so Nicola took the liberty of taking a seat next to her friend.

"Forget-me-not was it?"

"Yes."

"What do they mean Nikki?"

"I'm susprised you're interested in this. If you talk about the general symbol of the flower, it means just as its name. It's a sign of remembrance. They come in different species, though they mostly differ in size, the closeness of the petals to eachother and where they grow. The sleek and vibrant one you have here is also knows as a True Forget-me-not. These usually grow in wet places, near streams or rivers. See how the petals are arranged that the points would make a star if connected?" It was true, they were beautiful and smooth. This one small flower looked like a star, a mysterious blue star. "They have an appearance in folklore as well, even dating to the creation of man. The little flower cried out, 'Forget-me-not!' as Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. In 15th century Germany it was said the wearers of the flowers would not be forgotten by their lovers and it's connected with romance, tragic fates. I could go on, but you got the idea by now."

"Wow, you know a lot about it."

"I was quite fond of them as a little girl." Nicola looked so ... lonely. She had a look of happiness, but was lonely. The flower meant a lot to the blonde, it had to have held a special connection. Mimiru couldn't not otice this.

"What happened?"

"I guess ... I grew up. Got preoccupied with my daily duties."

"Such a shame. Then I hope you don't mind if I continue where you left off?" Mimiru took the forget-me-not in her own palm.

"Hmm?"

"I'm getting quite fond of it now that I know more about it."

"It's because it has such a mysterious background. You're curious if it's special ad because it's special."

"Hehehe, well this way I'm not forgetting about it. I'll keep your promise." The red head flopped down on her own bed.

"My promise?" Nicola asked surprisedly.

"Forget-me-not right? There was someone you didn't want to forget. That's why you always liked it, but you gave up on the way for a reason."

"Well well, not too shabby. Can you figure out who it is?" The young Roberts was actually pleasantly surprised. She had understimated her wild roommate and she had guessed spot on. There was no meaning in hiding the fact or try and lie. The wildfire took great pride in her theories and her adventures, so Nicola let her be. The little secret in her past had started making her lonely for a long time now. Perhaps sharing it would have been a change for the good ... if red guessed it.

"I'm working on it."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Here you have the 7th chapter. This time I made sure not to forget about it for a month ^^ Yeah, you have to forgive me for the last one. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated and looking forward even to the small regular reviews. Anytime you have a question I'm open for answers.

Next Chapter: What will Mimiru do to get closer to finding out Nicola's mystery person? This has to be the most red has socialized. She even comes face to face with people she never thought she would.


	8. Face to Face with the Night Class

_"The only man we have any respect for, is he who uses all the endowment he has, and uses it until he bleeds." _  
_~Martin H. Fischer~_

* * *

Days had passed since the commotion and events at Cross Academy. No new word had travelled around campus, no word about any criminal or no word about the ridiculous curfew being lifted. All was was quiet and maybe just a bit too normal. Mimiru for one was bewildered, annoyed and hyper for some action. She thought that with having been 'attacked' more than once, the culprit would return. She seemed to be a magnet for the weird. Of course, she did seek it out intentionally once you analyzed it all. Going out at night during curfew, sneaking away from the prefects, wishing to come face to face with evil, being a girl ... Mimiru was aware of all those, but it didn't stop her from still trying. Sometimes successful, sometimes not, sometimes waiting out in the yard for nothing or going back to a closed Hanagakure, sometimes getting caught by Kiryuu Zero and dragged indoors - those were the ingredients for the red head's days. The girl didn't really need to learn all those math equations, those biology terms, the chemistry formulas and wasn't about to go to some foreign country anytime soon. No, during confinement -classes and being watched- she had other matters to concern herself with. Mimiru and Nicola hadn't forgotten the promise they made in the infirmary after Mimiru's last encounter with the criminal. The blonde held some secrets, the red head wanted answers, and for that she needed to get as close to Nicola's daily life as possible. It was her sworn duty to find out the story behind the forget-me-not and the man in her dreams. There had to be a connection.

Thus, the rebelious girl began planning on ways to learn more about her roommate. Just asking the blonde didn't do any good as well as not serve entertainment. Mimiru followed her around and stood close by when she could, sometimes went through her books in search of a hint or maybe even a diary, but found nothing. Spyro hadn't lost the talent for driving her crazy as he had assumed the role of a watch cat. It was almost as if he knew what was her intentions, like he understood her all too well and didn't plan on letting the girl get what she wanted. It was indeed a cat pulled out from the pits of Saeki Mimiru's personal hell.

"I'm surprised, you seem to have grown on Spyro even more these last days. And you've been going to classes. Are you feeling well?" Nicola added happily as she and the wildfire were walking side by side down the halls of the academy. Deep down she was trying to tease Mimiru a bit just because the situation was so convienient. They had met up along the way after their respective classes.

"I'm not the problem here and that cat and I aren't friends. It became such a natural bloodcat it's ridiculous!" The redhead shouted in frustration.

"You mean bloodhound." The correction came swiftly.

"No, I mean bloodcat. He meows, drinks milk, eat fish and sleeps on my head." Mimiru carried on with her conviction, messing up her hair in even more frustration. In her current condition she was overly stressed out because of the road block in her search for the truth. She didn't expect all the answers to rain down upon her from the heavenly angel detectives residing in the skies, but she also didn't expet for everything to seem erased from the face of the earth. The criminal just up and vanished as if merging into one with the ground, the flower held a history she couldn't read up on, Kiryuu and Spyro were both on her tail. The girl went into one of her daydreams at that moment as she envisioned herself in old London, wearing a fancy cape, a funny but cool cap and blowing bubbles out of a pipe. In front of her, dressed in a beautiful purple victorian gown, stood her daydream version of Nicola petting Spyro which was calmly seated in her lap. They were having a stare-off in a living room of sorts, with Nikki's face fastened in a devilish smirk. Next to her side as her trusted butler and no doubt accomplice was Kiryuu Zero. For some reason he was wearing a monocle. All evil characters must wear one. The chief of police trying to make sure nothing was going to go out of hand was none other than the chairman and his assistant, Yuuki. Mimiru as the young Knight of Justice that she was was trying to get the noble lady to confess her hiding of the legendary criminal Crow, who had a tendency of violating tombs and robbing innocent girls of their logic to do as he pleased with them. The conversation was going nowhere. This Knight didn't have enough proof to arrest the lady and furthermore, her butler was known as a closet pervert. What relevance did it have to the case? None really ...

"At least you're getting a challenge. Sherlock Holmes never had it easy. right?" No answer greeted the blonde. "Ano, right Mimiru?"

"Huh? Ah, uhm, eh ... Well, I guess. But I haven't advanced these days with anything! Why don't you keep a diary or letters or pictures or something?"

"You were dreaming again weren't you?" Nicola asked with a sigh and slumped shoulders.

"No, I was performing an excellent re-enactment. Now about that diary..." She switched the subject quickly. She didn't feel the need to detail her dream to anyone, especially considering who was in it. It was already weird enough Zero had made it in. Again, her thoughts went back to the play in her mind which caused another flash of her mystery man to appear. Why did he pop up in the most unwanted ocassions like ... always?

"I haven't used those since I was a little girl. I don't have time to take pictures or look at them and it's meaningless writting a diary unless you actually wanted someone to read it. There's no one to send me letters either." Nikki calmy answered, seemingly not bothered by the lack of communication or proof of her memories.

"What about your family?"

"My parents are usually busy and I talk to them on the phone sometimes. My memory isn't that weak I'll forget their faces or voices so easily." The young lady lightly laughed.

"Perhaps..." But still, if it was Mimiru, she would have wanted to keep track of every embarassing moments her friends went through or anything to use to her advantage, perhaps event at least one picture of her family if they weren't ment to be weirdos in the case of their actual presence in the girl's life, but most of all all the landscapes she would explore. All those ancient temples, jungles, monuments or artifacts, she would always feel excited showing them off and recounting the perils she came face to face with.

"What are you thinking?" Nicola interrupted the dreams once more.

"Nothing much. There's nothing here and no specific legend related to the forget-me-not I can use. Sure it has its stories, but nothing that leads me to you or that guy."

"That guy?.."

"The criminal." Mimiru quickly covered. While it wasn't a complete lie, the man she was mostly thinking of earlier was that raven hair. There was no way to admit to such a thing, but he was the most obvious connection when searching about the forget-me-not. That time, there were flowers in her hair and he seemed to like them.

"You're still looking for him?"

"Of course! I'm not letting him make a fool of me so many times without a pinch of revenge." The redhead punched the air triumphantly to which Nicola smiled brightly. She was a fun girl. The two had traversed many halls and they had just made a turn leading to the courtyard. It was a cloudy day, with a few specs of light breaking through the grey and a cold breeze passing by. The two were even more surprised when they almost bumped into another pair of girls running about. They didn't even stop to say sorry or glance at who they could have ran over in the frenzy they were. Mimiru and Nicola oveheard a few of their lines though, accompanied by laughs and giggles. There was only one thing that could get the female students like this and upon inspection, Mimiru came to realize it was indeed that time of the day.

"Perhaps we should take a look?" Nicola suggested.

"What? Since when did you like the Night Class? Don't tell me you fell for one of their traps as well?" The redhead was thunder-stricken the aspiring yound lady would even suggest such a thing. Always being mannered, always doing her work and maybe helping our around campus, she would have thought Nikki didn't care for romance or boys in general. Never once having mentioned the two helped assuming so.

"Traps? I would hardly call them so, but if you must know, I'm just simply curious."

"What's there to be curious about? A bunch of guys all fancied up and smelling of some cologne with their best pick-up lines on the wait." Mimiru remarked as she turned her back on the rest of the courtyard, especially the direction those girls had run to.

"Ah, you're also forgetting that some of our school's best students are those very same guys. And there are female Night Class students as well." Nicola didn't seem bothered by her notorious roommate's attitude and was more than willing to go check the scene on her own. She took a couple of shy steps in the direction, still wondering or maybe hoping the redhead would change her mind.

"The're some of the best? I don't believe it!"

"You may never check the test board, but I do. I'll be joining the rest if our colleagues and observing from afar. You're free to follow ... if you wish." And with that Nicola waltzed away.

"Did she check out the Night Class before? I mean Nikki never mentioned liking them, but now that I think about it, she never mentioned not liking them either. Whenever I complained about them she was always quiet, always smilling and friendly ... Could it be ... A secret crush? Or maybe she's involved in something dangerous like keeping a dark secret or maybe one of them have something to do with Nikki's past!" Fueled by a new found inner fire, the young Saeki turned around with unmoving eyes. They were carrying inside a sparkle of curiosity and courage to overcome this impending meeting of fate. With steady and large steps, the girl set out in a march towards the Night Class dorm gates, which were to open any second now. What ran through her head were plans of making this the least painful she could. She would stay in the back, mingled in the crowd, hoping none would take notice of her unusual presence as she observed the iteractions and send glares towards anyone she found annoying. Mimiru was afraid and ashamed of winding up with a reputation in which she turned out smitten with the Night Class. Admitting they were good looking was reality, but obssessing over them was impossible.

Voices, laughs, squeals, giggles, the overall fawning over got steadily stronger as she got closer and closer to the Night Class dorm. As usual, a significant crowd had gathered and was separated in two to make room for the night students to pass through. The girls didn't show any restrictions in their display of affection, but they respected the Night Class' space. Was it because they seemed like nobles or royalty? Was it because they were elevated to a godly status by everyone and no mortal was good enough to impose on them? Or perhaps just the fact that the girls didn't want to make a full of themselves and gain enemies. Some of them could get very territorial even though none of the boys were their property. Jealousy is such a bitter tasting chocolate.

Most of the favorites like Kuran Kaname, Aidou Hanabusa, Ichijou Takuma were pausing from time to time to talk with the Day Class girls, using their ever-present smiles and manners. Aidou always seemed to enjoy himself though, he was a flirt by nature. Shiki Senri and Kain Akatsuki were the quiet ones, cool and collected. And the female Night Class weren't that sought out as the guys. _"Hmm, our school must need more male population. Either that or the're doing the sensible thing."_ It was while scanning around with that thought, mingling in the crowd on the left, that Mimiru spotted Nicola pretty close in front on the opposite side. _"Why? ... Why is she listening so intently to that Ichijou? Am I alone in this battle afterall?"_

"Ah! Saeki-san?" A female voice echoed loudly in Mimiru's ears. The redhead turned around quickly and covered the girl's mouth before she caused trouble. Luckily no one was paying too much attention to them. There were only passing looks because of the volume of the voice, but quickly discarded. With a sigh, Mimiru turned to now inspect the person she was silencing.

"Eh? Shindou-san?" The light brown hair in its braided style, those blue eye hidden behind glasses and that shy but friendly nature, they were all familiar. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." Mimiru let go of the girl's mouth.

"The same goes for you. I'm sorry I raised my voice like that, but I was surprised. So Saeki-san likes the Night Class as well." Shindou took her time to catch the small breaths she couldn't let out or inhale a few seconds ago. Sha had managed to spot the redhead quickly as she was trying to make her way up in front, late due to going to the library.

"What? That's wrong! I'm only here because of a friend, that's right. I came looking for her." Mimiru quickly covered, gesturing with her arms. Just as she feared, someone _had_ to go make that assumption. For all she knew, other girls could overhear and spread a rumor just for the heck of it.

"You're not interested in the Night Class?"

"No way." she flatly stated with no emotion on her face.

"Even more surprising! I thought every Day Class girl was a fan." The girl with the braids was looking at the redhead as if she had seen a rare animal. The lack of interest in the Night Class boosted her curiosity and admiration towards the redhead.

"Don't tell me you have a crush on them as well?" Mimiru asked a bit annoyed even someone like her got caught up, but she seemed a decent girl nonetheless.

"W-well, they are really amazing and good looking and kind. They just have this aura that pulls you in."

"Maybe... By human standards they are somewhere at the top of the beauty contest. It's something else that pisses me off about them..."

"I know! Let's go further in front to get a clsoer look. Maybe you'll find your friend." Shindou-san grabbed a hold of the unsuspecting girl, who turned towards her alarmed.

"I don't think that's neces-" There wasn't enough time for her to finish that sentence for she had already been spirited away. Other female students were growing angry and revolted, barging in like that. It was amazing how determined and brave the seemingly reserved spectacled one could be. In Mimiru's stories, most of the ones that fit the appearance would always be too quiet or shy tos peak their minds or take the initiative, but Shindou was different. _"She seems natural. I guess not all the Night Fans are bad. They may have their own reasons to like them, superficial or not, but I ..."_

"Oh and just who might you be? I never seen you before." A cheery Aidou made its way in front of the two girls, dripping of sweetness and charm.

"I'm nobody." Saeki replied flatly.

"No need to be shy. Hey what's your blood type?"

"Are you stupid? Who asks that, like ever? ... Unless you're a doctor or a psycho." Aidou Hanabusa blinked as if in a trance, flabbergasted at the tone and words with which he was answered. This was the first time when one of the female Day Class didn't go into a shy, giggling and dream state. The other girls around looked just as shocked, their attention having shifted to follow the stars of the academy. Some of them were even trying to send their disapproval towards Mimiru in spirit form. The redhead could practically feel the little black demons swirling around her.

"Well aren't you a spirited one? Your type can be cute as well." Still, the blue-eyed blonde was persistent. He bravely put his right arm around Mimiru's shoulder, who in return could not stop starring at the foreign object now touching her. Aidou was talking about who knows what, girls were sending mixed message, but she didn't hear anything ... no, more like she didn't care, didn't bother to listen.

"Excuse me." She took a hold of the arm and unwinded it, letting it fall lazily next to the male's body. "I think I hear rain coming so I can't waste time playing around now."

"Heh, spirited and rude. Or are you playing hard to get? Afraid of my adoring fans?"

"I do have a feeling they can inflict fear easily for some reason, but no. I'm looking for a different blonde."

"Saeki-san..." Shindou's voice held a pinch of concern, an alarm that wanted to get Mimiru's attention. Sadly it didn't work. Only after the person that was slowly approaching them reached the scene was there silence and gasps.

"I'm sorry if Aidou is disturbing you." Kuran Kaname spoke in a sweet tone as he grabbed Aidou's shoulder. The male blonde froze on spot for fear of receiving any type of punishment from the Night Class dorm leader. Kuran Kaname was known to be an examplary, kind and gentle, always trying to keep peace and proper communication between the seperate classes. As far as Saeki Mimiru was concerned, this man was beyond annoying and one of her least favorite. She didn't knew what it was, but something about Kuran made her want to see him squirm or shout out at him.

"Ah, Kaname-sama! I wasn't really-" As Hanabusa tried to explain himself, everyone's stares turned to bewilderment at a sudden growl from a now well known rebelious girl.

"Grrr!"

"Oi! Show some respect to Kaname-sama."

"It's fine. I don't know why you would give me such a fierce look, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've met. Right?" Kaname didn't falter and kept that noble demeanour towards Mimiru.

"Grrrrrrr!"

"Is this girl related to a dog?" Aidou Hanabusa asked no one in particular, but just to emphasize the ridiculous behaviour the girl was demonstrating.

"That might not be entirely wrong." The silver haired prefect made his way in the crowd to break it up. "Kuran, I suggest you take the rest of the Night Class and go. This is taking longer than it should." His tone was cold and his stare seemed even more so. This cauht Mimiru's interest. It seemed to her that for whatever reason, Kiryuu wasn't a fan of Kuran's either. There was a hate there she couldn't miss, the invisible sparks flying between them ... Perhaps a rivalry?

"That's because she-" Aidou was interrupted.

"It's fine. If you'll excuse us."

It was a given that the female students began following the Night Class as far as they could. Even just a few more steps were like heaven to them. As the people rushed by them, Zero, Mimiru, Shindou and the now joining Nicola stood in silence. They were happy to be able to breath easier and waiting till no one was left to overhear. Mimiru was especially happy to not have to deal with the nuisance anymore, though she did took pleasure in growling at that wannabe prince charming. It was more satisfying knowing what she did was something no one else dreamt of doing, besides Zero apparently. It felt good to be unique, to be free of trivial priorities.

"Soooo, I guess I should go now." Just as Mimiru was about to walk ahead towards the dorm building, but of course go around it to someplace else, Zero grabbed a hold her jacket's colar and pulled her back.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

"That's right! Weren't you here to find your friend?" Shidou so innocently intervened.

"Eh~? You miss me that much? Should I leave you a picture next time?" Even Nicola didn't want to give the redhead a break. Was it because she ruined the meeting with the Night Class?

"Hehehe, ara aren't we suppose to be close? We're practically like sisters now." The sweet laugh didn't work in clearing suspicion. By now neither Zero or Nikki would fall for such a trick. "That must invade into eachother's privacyyyy!" Mimiru quickly slid from the confines of her jacket and dashed away. The silver haired male was left standing with part of the Cross Academy uniform and a taunting laugh ringig in his ears. She was looking for trouble. He didn't even fully recognize Yuuki's presence.

"Was that Saeki-san running away?"

"That's right and that's Kiryuu-kun going after her." The blonde young lady cleared the current situation. It was Zero's job to watch over a certain someone, much to his disdain, and that's what he was doing.

"What did I miss?"

"Not much. Of course it doesn't take much to get Mimiru in trouble."

"I-I see."

* * *

"Of all the places I hide in, I chose the stables? Well, anyone barely comes here." She was digging through some hay in one of the back corners when one of the horses there began to tense up. Certainly the noise would bring anyone's attention so it would be a wise choice for the redhead to take care of the situation. "Geez! I can't even rest-" Her brown eyes came in sight of his blue ones. "Oh, it's you."

"What's that disappointing look for?"

"Aidou-Idol what do you want?"

"Aidou-Idol?" Well at least she cared enough to know his nickname. He cleared his throat. "I'm not here for pleasant conversations. I want to know the reason for your behaviour earlier."

"Ah, you mean 'Grrrrr'? It was a warning of not bitting the hand that feeds you." Mimiru reproduced the same tone and volume of the sound just as before. She went so far as to try and mimick a master scolding his pet and then the said pet jumping in for the bite. The actions themselves left quite an impression, but what Aidou feared most was the meaning behind her words.

"E-excuse me?"

"You know ... Your egos? You must have some with the attention you're all getting. Especially the Dorm head if he thinks he can fake smile his way out of stuff." The Night Class student sighed in relief, an act that was caught by the girl's eyes. And it was no sooner that he began snapping at her, heatedly defending his precious leader.

"What gives you the right to say such a thing?"

"It's called freedom of speech!"

"You don't know anything and show such disrespect!"

"At least I show it!" Mimiru got close and personal. She swore she could have seen fangs in the boy's mouth, but her wild imagination could have been the blame as well. Sometimes her mouth would be running while her brain would switch and process the images in front of her differently. Picturing someone as a devil or a princess, a tree as a magical fortress ... good times.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Aidou was puzzled. Her statement made no sense to him.

" And you call yourself a top level student. What do you prefer? Someone that sugarcoats everything or someone that's honest?" It was quite simple. The redhead didn't care for people to shelter her from harsh words, she didn't want them to refrain themselves from speaking their mind in her presence. For example, if by any chance she was out shopping for a sweater, Mimiru would want to hear wether she looks bad in it rather than the usual 'Oh sure. It looks fine/good on you.' If one couldn't complete such a simple task then it left her asking herself _"Can I really trust this person? Is he/her really paying attention and showing me respect?"_ People's hearts grow stronger with criticism, humiliation and mockery does the same thing. They all built character.

"Yes yes, that's as far as you two go." Kiryuu Zero entered the stables lazily and went to White Lily's side, one fo the few souls to get close to the prefect - a white horse that seemed to share similarities with the albino ... Wait, they were both albinos.

"Kiryuu!"

"Oh, you found me." Mimiru acknowledged blankly.

"Hard not to with all the noise. Aidou, didn't class start already?" He was stroking the horse's mane gently, not bothering to turn to the others present there. Well the redheaded girl was more curious on how the caretaker wasn't present yet. Did the place even have one? Hanabusa only shot a glance to the two before marching out, nose held high in pride. He didn't accept this meeting as a loss. No, in his mind he only exerted his power and influence.

"Ah, it suddenly went quiet." The girl noticed how the moment the Night male left, Lily was quick to calm down. It was at this point the horse gained respect points with the girl, besides being one of her favorite animals. She went to its side immediately to pet it. Surprisingly to Zero, there was no protest to follow.

"Lily doesn't like strangers much."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"Don't say stupid things."

"Family?"

"Just where do we look alike?" Zero was starting to lose his patience. He close his eyes as he tried to calm down, but knew that more nonsense would follow. This girl had no restrictions in whatever she did and didn't care for the way others reacted.

"You're both white." Her simplicity at times was stunning.

"And you're red, but you don't see me saying you're a fox."

"How cruel. Insulting my mother like that." Fake tears framed her shaking eyes.

"..." The boy didn't even bother to make a comeback, but Saeki wouldn't let him off easy.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. We all are souls in the end."

"Is that what you say to yourself and the cat." The mere idea she was sugesting animals and humans as soul mates sounded crazy. He didn't suspect she was the spiritual type. Then again, she was more like a wild animal than a girl.

"Grrrrr!"

"I'm not Kuran."

"Lily was her name?" Mimiru changed the subject while pointing towards the white horse. "I like her. She's a pretty good judge of character, though I don't know why she keeps you around. Oh! Are you the caretaker? Cause that would explain it to some degree."

"Of course not! I just like to rest here." Zero almost smacked himself upon realisation of what he just said. He froze, hoping the girl wouldn't think about that piece of information much.

"Ohoho, so this is the mysterious place you disappear to. Ne, is it fun skipping class and leaving a poor unwilling girl to suffer alone?" The flames of anger burned brightly around the girl. It was like a dark shadow swept over her face and her eyes seemed to glow. Just as the male prefect dreaded, she would haunt him even in one fo the few sanctuaries he had and would make sure to torment his every second or worse. She could very well give out the secret to anyone who was interested and it would become even more difficult to get a moment of peace. It was regretable that he would have to visit the stables less.

"Clearly you haven't suffered enough."

"How about a trade?"

"A trade?''

"That's right. In exchange for my silence and letting you stay here in peace you gotta give me something." So she wanted to annoy Zero to no end. Mimiru was smirking, eyes strong with determination. There was no doubt she was enjoying herself. Scenes from her book passed through her mind like the moment before apprehending a criminal or the intense interogation of suspects, the push for cooperation from the authorities.

"First of all who would believe you and who would care where I go?"

"I'm sure there are at least a handful of girls that like you, as impossible as it may sound. Or is the Chairman aware of this? You seem to be getting along with the Night Class. This Saeki Mimiru-sama knows well how annoying they all are." She grabbed a strand of hay from her left and placed it in her mouth, chewing a bit. It helped her mood and to think.

"What do you want?"

"Freedom."

"No." No moment of thought whatsoever.

"You didn't even listen to the whole thing."

"You want me to stand back and let you sneak away and go out in the city when you know very well of the curfew. Not to mention you're on thin ice with the teachers already."

"How about if you accompany me? That way you can keep your promise to keep an eye on me."

"..." The silver haired boy raised his eyebrows as if daring her to ask him again. That look had 'You gotta be kidding me' plastered all over it.

"Can I ride Lily?"

"What?" Zero was taken aback by teh sudden change of subject.

"Can I ride Lily? It's not a hard question."

"That's not up to me." It was the truth. Kiryuu Zero never once thought as if he had any right to impose orders on Lily. He was the only one to fully tame her, but that's because in a way they were companions. The seemingly crazy idea of people and animals being soul mates made a bit more sense to him now. If White Lily chose to let someone ride her, it's because she trusted them. Mimiru was curious to test out her skills and jumped over the small wooden wall that surrounded the horse and mounted it without bothering to put on a saddle.

"She seems to be fine with it. A compromise. You only get to accompany me 3 days a week and the rest, I get to ride Lily as much as I want."

"No."

"Let's go!" With a strech of her body the redhead opened the mechanism holding the door in place and impeled Lily to spring forward. The only thing the girl was gripping at the moment was the white hair in front of her. She had read and heard about riding in this more natural manner.

"Wait!" Zero shouted after the two and began running. There was no way he would be able to keep up but they couldn't run forever either. Thus life on campus took another turn down Saeki Mimiru's crazy road and obsession with freedom. She was too straightforward, too wild, too obsessed. _"What is she really after? Is she just stupid? She couldn't be...?"_

It wasn't long till this whole situation turned into a routine for the next 3 days. As much as the albino protested, there were two females against one male. White Lily had taken the crazy girl's side for whatever reason and the two of them seemed to get along very well. Was it because they were both females or was it just Saeki's way with animals. Though her attempts with Nicola Roberts' cat wasn't as succesful, as time proved. Occasionally Spyro would get in their way or follow them around. He greatly disliked the amount of freedom Mimiru was getting. Not even Zero himself knew why he was putting up with the girl in the first place.. Did he really feel compelled on babysitting or taming her? Oh, wait ... orders. He doubted this girl was a target or had any connection to the criminal that got everyone on edge, but she had a way to attract trouble. Cross seemed to think there was a catch and Mimiru seemd to have a strange dislike for the Night Class just as strong as his. It made him wonder if it was just a whim of hers or something more. Roberts had talked to him about Mimiru's personality and pattern, her likes and dislikes, her obsession for adventure and the strange desire of being surrounded by danger.

"Clearly she is not in her right mind. The Chairman is right, she's a potential threat to herself and her own state of mind and maybe even thsoe around her. ... Stupid girl." He could only watch onwards as Mimiru tried and ride standing up on Lily's back. It failed with her falling over in a pond.

* * *

**Author's Note: I have come back. After my break I decided to continue on with the story for the sake of any fan out there. If by any chance I did do some wrongs and weird phrasing throughout the chapters, then it is my chance to improve and learn from mistakes ... or I was temporary distracted. As for this chapter, I thought it was time Mimiru met the Night Class face to face and I'm taking a chance of posting it without another read over cause of a headache. Any severe mistakes out there, be sure to tell me.**

**Constructive criticism appreciated.**


	9. Accomodation

**Yes I know it's been long. Been in a passive mood towards the end of last year, but 2011 should prove to be more productive. In other words, I'm back. I'll see this through and through and will never really put a stop on it. Just so you know.  
**

**

* * *

**_ "The path to success is to take massive, determined action."  
_ - Tony Robbins -

Days went by and things progressed according to this messed up schedule, this bearably like-hate relationship Mimiru and Zero had. The prefect still wondered and amazed at the fact that Lily was being so accepting with the random work-out sessions. More than that, it was as if the two females had become best friends ... as much as a human can befriend a horse. It wasn't as if Zero could stand in their way. Most of the time he was off God knows where or sleeping, though supposedly watching over the grounds. That left plenty of open windows for Mimiru to relocate to the stables and the library. Why the library? She had been doing research and drowning herself in more fantasies at the same time. She researched all she could about the forget-me-not, but it was such a small flower and there were only two logical answers to Nicola's challenge: either lover or family. And so that was that.

The red head from then on moved to better things. Or perhaps she got easily distracted by tales of legendary heroes, cruel deranged villains, untamable creatures and powers beyond human recognition? It was most likely the latter. Mimiru wasn't showing lack of interest in her roommate's life or disrespect, but when one hits a dead end, it's best to just stop and take a breather. To her, the longer it took, the more questions could pile up - her fascination would increase. Plus ... Nicola really didn't care if she was being researched or not. She just didn't wish to go and talk about her personnel affairs all of a sudden. And so here we were on this friday afternoon in a cozy library corner, a girl spread out on the ground and books arranged in a pattern as if they had fallen from above. The librarian and regulars were known to avoid Mimiru if they could. There had been a discussion concerning proper care of school property, but who could argue with a speeding bullet?

"Eh? But books are meant to be worn out! People read them over and over, pages turning and turning, the light and air breathing into the fibres. It attracts new adventurers everyday, the way you forget about the outside world, the crazy position due to that immersed feeling, that comfortableness!" or so the red head said.

As far as classes went, her grades and attendance had been getting better. Not perfect, but other classmates were starting to understand her better. She got invites from the other girls to hang out, but if it wasn't about games, books or food, you'd find her here, in her corner - a different world.

"Ah~, such an obvious mistake. You always have to check any travelers you come into contact with. The possibility of an unsuspecting foe or ally is too high. Well, this hero is a scattered brain after all. If it wasn't for Elaine he would spend all their money on ridiculous competitions." Those brown eyes shone lively, her mouth was frozen into a smile, her tone that of a little kid looking up to a hero. She radiated of not having a care in the world, of a summer spent in a mountain cottage. However weird it may have sounded, she was a good example of what books were capable of. Mimiru was reading a small fantasy tale, offering her own critic to the whole piece. Overall there was an obvious lack of judgment from the main character's part and some generic support was added along a very linear plot, but it was quaint enough to read to the end. "A talking sword...That sounds nice. I wish I had a partner, preferably something out of the ordinary."

"Saeki-san? I'm afraid it's almost closing time." the librarian had interupted. She was in her early 30s and had that motherly housewife look going around with her black hair tied in a bun, an apron and dress underneath.

"Closing time already? Libraries should be open 24/7."

"Well, we could do that ... if I were to never sleep for the rest of my life. I guess I should survive on the vast knowledge, right?" Fortunately she was one of those amusing mothers. Not stiff like everyone's image of a librarian. It was perhaps when she saw how much the young generation cared for books that the woman would show this side of hers freely.

"You catch on fast Ms. Kate."

"Yes yes. I take it you'll be taking some of these back to your room? Don't you have any homework?"

"This is much more interesting than math." Mimiru stood up with a pile up books neatly placed in her arms. She handed them over to Ms. Kate, saving three of them for herself. Normally one would have to fill out the usual formalities, but there were could be lenient with such reliable customers. And it was with a "Thanks for the hard work." that she just moved along like a zombie towards her dorm room. Her face was still glued to the pages. An act that had enhanced her doging abilities and senses over the years.

"Ha! I knew he would get clobbered! A good henchman is so hard to find. Why don't more people use animals as henchman I wonder. They seem to work wonders in some stories. That or they turn out much more interesting for a reason." The girl continued to voice out her thoughts, not stopping to think about any bother she may cause. It was early for anyone to be actually asleep, but there are those people that feel like poking over the smallest of things. It was only the other day Mimiru got into a fight with a few guys cause of her straightforwardness. It wasn't her fault they were complete idiots thinking they were all that because of some pick-up lines. She saved those day class girls the trouble.

"Oi Mimiru! Still glued to a book I see?" one of the passing students shouted. He looked back at the girl with a chuckle, knowing very well he wouldn't get any answer.

"I never knew she was a bookworm..." The guy's friend, that was lazying around, was intrigued.

"Ah, her? She's only a fantasy-supernatural freak. I bet she would date the first guy to show up with elvish ears."

"Isn't that a little extreme?"

"Extreme is her core." The two males walked off towards their own dorm once Mimiru had rounded the corner. It wasn't like she hadn't heard them. No. She just didn't want to answer, because they already knew the answer from the beginning. It had become apparent that people were starting to get what she was about.

"Saeki-san! Just the person I wanted to see!" A shiver ran down the red head's spine. There was just one person that had this sweet and joyful tone, this "teen stalker" personality, and that was none other than the Chairman, Cross Kaien. The very same person that had made Kiryu into a watchdog and the very same person why now her attendance sheet was filling up with marked.

"Chairman ... What is it?"

"Nothing much. I was wondering how well are you getting along with your classmates." He was close, too close. Always wearing that goofy face ad speaking in that cheery tone, no doubt to fool everyone. Mimiru wasn't so easy to fool though.

"It's just a normal classmate relationship."

"But you've been making friends."

"I wouldn't exactly say friends, more like acquaintances."

"Good enough! Due to circumstances concerning your room, you will have to stay with someone else for a few weeks." The chaiman was too cruel. The news came crashing down like thunder on the girl. There was no way she would believe such an inconvenient turn of events.

"Wait what? What circumstances?"

"Rennova~ti~ng!" The chairman sang out through the hallway.

"Who goes and rennovates a student's room while that student is still using it?" Mimiru pointed accusingly towards the idiot adult.

"This is all for your sake. I have nothing but the best for you in heart." A likely story.

"What about Nikki? Does she know?" She kneeled down and began browsing through the random pages of one of her books.

"Of course! She already found a place to stay. If I'm not mistaking, it was with Shindou Nadashiko and her roommate."

"Shindou-san? I never thought they knew eachother so well." Wether she wanted to let on that she didn't seem to care or that it wasn't a big issue, an outsider wouldn't really tell. First of all, no one would understand why a girl suddenly decided to lay down in the middle of a hallway flipping pages.

"Uhm ... yes. But after taking your situation into account I decided it's best-"

"I stay with Kiryuu?" Mimiru slammed the book shut. So far she hadn't raised her head from the ground and the chairman was beginning to fear how angry shw was.

"Well, actually, that would cause problems. There's an empty room you can use, but it is next to Zero. And then there's only a sofa you can sleep on since it was suppose to be a lounge area."

"I don't mind."

"That's good to hear Mimiru-chan-Huh?" Was she surrendering with no ressitance?

"I used to sleep on sofas when I was a kid. I actually felt much better than on a bed. And staying next to Zero wo't be bad. I won't be **in** the room with him, but I'll get to bang the wall to the rythm that is my life." She gathered her stuff and began walking down towards Zero's room. She wasn't glad with the arrangement, but she was looking forward to something. How she knew where Zero's was? Well it wasn't hard hearing the rumors. Cross remained perplexed. "I know the way, but you'll have to open the door for me, right? ... Ah and rennovations my ass."

In the end she accepted the arrangement, but not because she was ordered to. Having a room to yourself had its benefits. All of Mimiru's belongings had been moved already and we all know she liked to have things her own way. She spread her clothes and books around the place, papers lying around with walls of text. Suddenly she felt her energy rise up. She began swirling around the room, no one to object. It as if she was given her own little sactuary and the best part of them all was the fact there was no meddling cat to annoy her. She could stay up as late as she wanted and could think as loudly as she could. It was hard when she had to contain herself in front of Nicola. As an evil laughter errupted, the walls carried on the echo to the next room.

"What is that girl laughing about?" Zero bore an invisible hole in the wall with his eyes. "What an idiot..." He was settled against the far end wall, empty black box on the floor. His eyes held a red glint that was dieing down. As much as he hoped to rest tonight, he had an appointment ... somewhat annoying appointment. He stood to grab his coat from atop the bed and set out into town. Creeping had become his specialty, so that he was beginning mock himself of becoming more of a vampire. No one was there to see him, no one was there to question his departure. Even once he got to the core of the town, he didn't catch sight but of the usual drunks or no-lifers. _"This town is annoying during the night."_

Zero marched on through the streets, turning corners and passing by needless stores. There was no point in dawdling and last he needed was for more people to think he was weird. You could see different faces poking from behind curtains. It was clear the town was still scared. Who wouldn't? Three more deaths had been reported. _"This is why staying on school grounds is inconvenient. I can't hunt this way."_ The all too familiar sign of Hanagakure came into view. Seemingly abandoned, the prefect still made his way inside - the door was open.

"Ah Zero-kun! Right on time again." The fatherly voice of Takenouchi rang through the empty restaurant. He was sitting at the bar eating some ramen. "You should serve yourself. The usual?"

"Yeah."

"How's Mimiru doing?"

"She's losing her sanity every day." Zero took a seat at the bar, accepting the free meal.

"Hahaha, just as expected."

"She began riding Lily. It's keeping her busy."

"Oh? She stole your girlfriend?"

"What are you thinking old man?" The teen nearly choked on his food. That man had a weird way of making things sound.

"That was a nice reaction boy!" Another fit of laughter erupted from Takenouchi. He was as weird as ever, no doubt a deadly combo together with Chairman Cross.

"Ugh, tell me what else you found out so I can go back." Zero's patience was running thin. He was too tired for this.

"Always so cold." The elder took the now empty ramen bowls and went behind the counter. "Well, I didn't gather much on this but it's certain the criminal isn't the same man that cirled around the academy. Rumors say he blends in with the shadows, scarf covering his face, golden eyes rooting you to the ground and grey hair."

"Pretty accurate."

"Some stupid kids decided to provoke him. They're safe thanks to the Association."

"Well then, things will be going faster." Zero began making his way to the door when stopped.

"Make sure you say hi to Mimiru for me."

"Aren't you in hiding?" Ever since that time from the suppose disappearance of Takenouchi, he felt like there was something weird. Like it was too much of a coincidence, so as prefect, Kiryuu took it upon himself to find out what happened to the restaurant owner. Surprising as it was, the man had never left. Even more shocking when the prefect learned he worked for the Association during his free time. Thus a sort of partnership settled.

"That's true, but you can still tell her hi while keeping me in your heart. That way she won't suspect a thing." A door slam was heard into the night.


	10. Author's Note

Not sure if many had read the change in the summary I had put on back when I first entered the story in Hiatus, but shall add another note at the moment since I see someone asked me on the update for the story.

Currently I have no plans on continuing Hot N' Cold. Various factors were the cause, major issue being my lowered interest in Vampire Knight at its current pace. I feel like the flow and story got a bit unfocused or better said focused too much on certain characters, at which point I'm not sure of its direction. There is a clear change across the chapters, but I don't feel like the quality is the same. Perhaps it's just my expectations that were greater for it, but there are major characters I feel like they're centered on their obsessions and confusions too much, when the answers and logical paths are right in front of them. Perhaps I shall pick the story up again when the manga is finished. While the story is original, I do want to keep the same feel to the ending and pace. But yeah, that's a bit maybe. I've been busy with other series that have captured my attention in the meantime.

Sorry again for the inconvenience, but yeah you could probably expect a continuation or rewrite after the manga ends; perhaps a new story all in all, with two new OCs, vampire twins I had designed way back a couple of years. In the meantime I might start something for other fandoms such as: Naruto, Yu-Gi-Oh, Rise of the Guardians, DmC, Young Justice, X-Men Evolution, Avatar the Last Airbender ... perhaps more. Initially I want to work on original series more than fandoms, but the practice never hurts. If anyone is still watching or has any ideas, feel free to note me or something.


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